The UK home office is reportedly considering reclassifying ketamine as a Class A drug.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic which is used medically for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. It is also used as a treatment for depression and in pain management. Currently, it is classified as a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, alongside cannabis, amphetamines and codeine.
According to Gov.uk, the maximum penalty for supplying and producing ketamine is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
As reported by BBC, the Home Office is currently planning to seek “expert advice” on reclassifying the drug due to the illegal use of the drug racing record levels. Back in March 23, an estimated 299,000 people who were between the ages of 16-59 reported ketamine use.
Ketamine pill bottle, conceptual image. Credit: Vladimir Bulgar via GETTY
Not only does the dissociative anaesthetic cause various health issues such as irreversible damage to the bladder and kidneys, but it is also the main ingredient of ‘pink cocaine’, the dangerous synthetic drug cocktail.
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson has written to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, asking if the drug’s classification should be upgraded and explained that they will “carefully consider” its findings.
“Ketamine is an extremely dangerous substance and the recent rise in its use is deeply concerning. Through our Plan for Change and mission to make the nation’s streets safer, we will work across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply,” Johnson wrote.
She continued: “It is vital we are responding to all the latest evidence and advice to ensure people’s safety and we will carefully consider the ACMD’s recommendations before making any decision.”
Ketamine was the drug that led to the death of Friends star Matthew Perry back in 2023. An autopsy report ruled his manner of death to be accidental, and showed that he died from the acute effects of the drug, with contributing factors including drowning.
Matthew Perry (CREDIT: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ)
Following his death, it was revealed that Perry was surrounding himself with a “toxic” group of “enablers”, according to an expert in Hollywood in addiction.
Joe Schrank, who has also served as a sober counsellor to many Hollywood stars, made the comments in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that explores the events leading up to Perry’s death.
Discussing the people Perry surrounded himself in his final days, Schrank added: “It was toxic. But that’s what they do. Addicts like Perry are going to surround themselves with enablers — assistants who will not draw lines in the sand, sycophantic hangers-on who’ll do anything to be near a celebrity, including get them drugs — and distance themselves from people that will tell them hard truths.”
Back in April of last year, Merseyside Police issued warnings over a “dangerous” batch of ketamine that had been circling around Liverpool. Authorities had issued the warning after three different men suffered seizures following the consumption of ketamine at a premises on Fleet Street around 5am.
Back in October, two men were given prison sentences after being found with ketamine-filled Kinder Eggs in their bums at Creamfields 2024.
According to Manchester Evening News, Marshall Maddock and Harry Hewitson were alerted to police by Sniffer dogs as they were about the enter the event through the North gate. Both men were then taken to be searched by officers.
Maddock, reportedly handed a “small quantity of drugs” over to police but refused to be searched further. As a result, an “intimate search” was carried out – with officers discovering a Kinder Egg capsule containing 10 bags of ketamine in his anus.
Hewitson, also refused to be searched initially, but he too was found with a Kinder Egg container filled with 10 bags of ketamine in his anus.
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