Ketamine could be reclassified to a class A drug as the UK Government seeks advice from experts after usage soars to record levels. Home Office figures show that in the year ending March 2023, around 299,000 individuals aged between 16 and 59 admitted to using ketamine, which is currently categorised as a class B substance.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson is set to request guidance from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on whether its classification should be reviewed and has pledged to “carefully consider” the council’s recommendations. The consideration for reclassification comes amid reports that ketamine is often mixed into “pink cocaine”, a synthetic blend of drugs.
The maximum sentence for producing and supplying ketamine is up to 14 years imprisonment. For the latest health and Covid news, sign up to our newsletter here
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The move comes after a coroner’s appeal to the Home Secretary last November for a re-evaluation of the drug’s status after the death of a man linked to long-term ketamine use. James Boland, 38, from Manchester, died of sepsis caused by a kidney infection, which was a result of chronic ketamine consumption, according to Greater Manchester South senior coroner Alison Mutch.
In her prevention of future deaths report, she warned that maintaining ketamine’s class B status might mislead people into believing it is less harmful. She said it would be “likely to encourage others to start to use it or continue to use it under the false impression it is ‘safer'”.
Dame Diana said: “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.
“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.”