From Awareness to Action: The Silent Epidemic of Ketamine Abuse in Britain
- PARLIAMENT NEWS
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Do we truly understand the dangers of Ketamine?
This was the question that echoed through the halls of the House of Parliament during an urgent and deeply sobering discussion titled “From Awareness to Action – Addressing the Rising Harms of Ketamine Use.”
The event, hosted by the University of Hertfordshire (UH) in partnership with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Emerging Drugs and Online Behavioural Trends and the International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs, brought together some of the nation’s leading minds in medicine, law enforcement, and addiction research.
In collaboration with Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, the University of Lincoln, and the Università di Trento, this high-level parliamentary session sought to transform growing concern into policy-driven action.
Among the distinguished speakers were Professor Ornella Corazza (University of Hertfordshire and APPG Secretariat Chair), Caroline Haughey KC OBE (Criminal Barrister and Expert in Organised Crime and Drug Legislation), Inspector Ian Thompson (New Scotland Yard – Project ADDER Lead), Professor Owen Boden-Jones CBE (President, Society for the Study of Addiction), Dr Arun Sahai (Consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College London), Dean Russell BSc (Hons) MPhil FRSA (Former MP and Minister of State), Michael Batten (Ketamine Support Worker at Birchwood, Kaleidoscope House), and Josephine Moore (Registered Manager, Birchwood at Kaleidoscope House).
The event was coordinated with precision and vision by co-founder of the Parliamentary Society of Arts, fashion & Sports Christian Vinante, whose commitment to advancing this dialogue is both timely and essential.
The Changing Face of Ketamine Use
Once regarded as a “party drug” synonymous with club culture, Ketamine has quietly infiltrated Britain’s streets, parks, and schools. Its shift from nightlife indulgence to adolescent dependency marks one of the most disturbing social and medical evolutions of our time.
The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System reports that the number of under-18s in England entering treatment for Ketamine misuse has nearly tripled, rising from 335 in 2020–21 to 917 in 2023–24. A 2023 national survey across 185 schools revealed that 11% of 15-year-olds had been offered Ketamine, and that its use among schoolchildren has more than doubled in a decade.
The drug’s accessibility is alarming — often purchased for as little as £15 a gram — and its perception as a “safe high” is dangerously misguided.
The Human Cost
At Burnley General Hospital, consultant urologist Dr Haytham Elsakka is treating an increasing number of young people suffering from “Ketamine bladder” — a painful and irreversible condition that can result in the need for bladder reconstruction or removal.
“Some of my patients are just 16 to 24 years old,” Dr Elsakka notes. “Half will need surgery.”
The physical toll extends far beyond the bladder. Chronic Ketamine use can lead to kidney failure, liver damage, urethral scarring, incontinence, and impotence.
One case — that of 16-year-old Preston McNally, who drowned in the Leeds and Liverpool canal under the influence of Ketamine — serves as a heartbreaking reminder that this crisis is not confined to urban nightlife. It has reached our homes, schools, and communities.
A Misguided Remedy
What makes this epidemic even more complex is the drug’s dual identity. Ketamine is both a licensed anaesthetic and a controlled substance, prescribed within the NHS for certain resistant forms of depression. Yet the line between clinical use and recreational abuse is blurring.
In a society already strained by mental health crises, the increasing medical reliance on a substance originally designed as a horse tranquilliser demands scrutiny. While its clinical benefits cannot be denied for some, its potential for dependency and physiological harm remains profound.
As one participant aptly stated during the parliamentary discussion: “We cannot medicate despair with substances that dismantle the very organs we rely on to live.”
A Call to Action
The experts in Parliament were united by a single conviction — that awareness alone is insufficient. Britain must move beyond rhetoric to intervention.
Former MP Dean Russell FRSA, who has long championed mental health and online safety reform, emphasised the importance of early education, cross-sector collaboration, and community engagement. Inspector Ian Thompson spoke of the growing link between Ketamine supply chains and organised crime, while Caroline Haughey KC OBE highlighted the urgent need for judicial and legislative clarity.
Professor Ornella Corazza, who has dedicated her career to understanding emerging psychoactive substances, underscored that Ketamine’s appeal lies in its false promise of escape: “It gives a temporary illusion of calm — but leaves permanent scars on both body and mind.”
The Road Ahead
Whether reclassification of Ketamine from Class B to Class A will deter its use remains a matter of debate. Critics argue that punitive measures may deepen stigma and discourage users from seeking help. Others believe stricter laws are necessary to curb accessibility.
But one truth is undeniable: the rising tide of Ketamine-related harm among Britain’s youth is both a public health emergency and a societal failing.
We owe it to this generation — already burdened by anxiety, loneliness, and digital overstimulation — to offer understanding, treatment, and protection, not silence.
As the session concluded in Parliament, there was a shared sense of urgency. The data are clear. The consequences are irreversible. The time for polite discussion has passed.
We must act — now.
Article by Rebeca Riofrio, Director, Parliamentary Society for Arts and Fashion UK - Advocate for Public Health and Youth Protection
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