Kit Kat. Special K. Ket, or simply K. Ketamine has plenty of different street aliases.
Many will be aware of the drug from its medicinal origins as an anaesthetic and veterinary tranquiliser. But its illegal use as a recreational drug has steeply risen in recent years, particularly by young people. A recent study found that ketamine use amongst under-24s has tripled in the past 15 years, with 6% using the drug at least once.
The normalisation of recreational ketamine can ring alarm bells for health specialists who’ve warned of an “endemic” of potentially disastrous side effects. Chris Tarren is the Gloucestershire Quality and Compliance Officer for Via, an addiction charity that offers substance abuse support services in Stroud on behalf of local authorities. “The main effect tends to be bladder problems, so thickening of the bladder walls and degradation of the bladder,” Chris says.
“Sadly, in that situation, ketamine is used as an anesthetic. When people have pain in their bladders, they turn to ketamine to self-medicate for the pain.” This creates a vicious cycle of drug dependency, where ketamine is used to cope with pain whilst also damaging the body more, causing cramps and difficulty urinating. At worst, he explains, “the end result to that bladder damage is the bladder being removed and a [urostomy] bag for the rest of your life.”
Legally, ketamine is ranked as a Class B drug, although as of January the government is considering upgrading ketamine to a Class A substance, meaning longer prison sentences. Across the UK, the government has revealed that a record 500kg of ketamine were seized by British police forces in the year ending March 2023. That’s a 189% increase from the previous year.
While ketamine’s rise is a national problem, there are few statistics about its impact in Gloucestershire specifically. Stroud Times submitted a Freedom of Information request to Gloucestershire police to find out how many ketamine crimes there are in the county. The police revealed they haven’t recorded any crimes in Gloucestershire for ketamine supply, or possession with intent to supply, between 2014 and 2024. Other police data shows that between 2021 and 2023, ketamine offences made up less than 1% of drug possession crimes recorded in Gloucestershire.
The published figures show recorded offences for ketamine possession in Gloucestershire in the past 10 years. While the overall numbers are relatively low, the figures show a clear rise in arrests, from 2 annual offences in 2014 and 2015 to 14 offences in 2024. That’s the highest in at least a decade. The number of incidences of ketamine possession by under 18s are too small to draw any general trends from, although there were no recorded incidences of ketamine offences by under 18s before 2022, and since then there have been 5 recorded.
When approached for a comment regarding ketamine-related crimes in the county, Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “We proactively target and disrupt criminal gangs who deal drugs and exploit vulnerable people, and we’re committed to pursuing those causing harm to our communities. The community can play a vital role and we ask the public to continue to contact us with information and report any concerns you may have, whether in relation to drug activity and the supply of drugs, or vulnerable people being exploited.
“Anyone with information about illegal drug activity can report it to the police online or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency. Information can be provided anonymously to independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or online.”
“It was just absolutely devastating seeing my friends become people that they’re not.”
While the police statistics show an increase in ketamine arrests, the figures don’t really support an “explosion” of use that’s been reported in the national press. However, modest arrest rates may not correlate to how much the drug is actually being consumed in the community. Local young people exposed to ketamine tell me the problem shouldn’t be underestimated.
As a young person living in Stroud, Isaac* says he first became aware of ketamine through social media. “I’d seen it as memes on the internet and really downplaying the severity of it, and being ‘on the horse tranquilizer’ in a really jokey way.”
Isaac was only 17 when the ‘joke’ started becoming real. “The first time I ever remember doing it, it was at a party, and friends were like, ‘Oh, that’s not that bad, you won’t feel too bad.’ And actually, I haven’t done it since the first time I ever did it. I was like, ‘No, this is fucking horrible’. But so many of my friends have just not been able to kick [the habit] at all.”
“It helps them completely disconnect from everything. It’s heartbreaking to watch.”
Ketamine is a dissociative drug, with users describing feeling ‘spaced out’ or even unable to move. Some of Isaac’s friends tell him they use the drug for theraputic reasons and even claim it helps with studying. “They said it literally just completely shuts their brain off, and they just disassociate from everything… It’s heartbreaking to watch, really.”
Even though Isaac hasn’t used ketamine since his first experience, the impact on his close friends has been crushing. “I remember on New Year’s Eve, I had just a complete mental breakdown about it. I had a proper panic attack, just because I felt completely powerless… It was just absolutely devastating seeing my friends become people that they’re not, and all act so nonchalant about it.”
“People don’t need to be scared, they need to be educated.”
Nowadays, Isaac says he just tries to avoid being around ketamine, but its popularity amongst his cohort makes it hard. “I just [can’t] stand to see it, and a lot of the time, if it gets brought up or brought out, I’ll just leave. Because I just can’t bear to be around it.”
Isaac says he has friends as young as 14 using ketamine and would like to see more awareness about the dangers of taking it, especially in schools. “People don’t need to be scared, they need to be educated. Because it’s so abundant, it’s so cheap, it’s so downplayed, you never hear about the serious effects of it. Especially because it wasn’t one that was talked about a lot in school… because it just wasn’t as prevalent back then.”
“We’re here to help.”
Isaac isn’t the only person who’s noticed a rise in ketamine locally, and other organisations say they’re aware of the problem and here to help. At Via, Chris Tarren tells me that “anecdotally, we’re seeing an increase in casement referrals” for ketamine use. However, relative to other drugs, “the numbers are still very small. We have about 2000 people in treatment overall, there are 20 active ketamine users in treatment at this time. [But staff] are telling me they’re hearing service users talk about ketamine more than maybe they were five years ago.”
Although the overdose risk of ketamine is quite low, Chris says the dangers are increased if it’s taken alongside other drugs or alcohol. “One of the greatest risks with ketamine is accidents. It’s an anaesthetic, so you’re much less likely to notice you’ve been injured. It’s disassociative, so you pay less attention to what’s going on around you. You’re at much greater risk of assaults, sexual assaults, of things happening to you.”
“Reach out as early as possible. Don’t wait until it’s excruciating pain.”
Like with other substance abuse issues, Chris says early invention is crucial. “If we can get people identifying and noticing the problems before it becomes a really chronic issue, then that would make it easier to deal with.”
For anyone concerned about their ketamine consumption, Chris encourages them to reach out and ask for help. “If you’re a regular ketamine user, [if] you’re starting to pee more or having any sort of discomfort [or] pain around that area, seek support. Reach out as early as possible. Don’t wait until it’s excruciating pain.”
Whether it’s offering talking therapies, group sessions, or helping patients talk to their GP, Chris says there is support available for those who need it, including for the loved ones of those affected by drug use. “Often, service users will tell me that the worst bit was coming through the door the first time. Because if you’re a substance user, you [can] get a lot of people judging you for what you’re doing. That doesn’t happen here.”
“The best thing I’ve done is giving it up.”
“It’s been a tough couple of years”. Keiran* sits across from me at a pub table in Stroud, surrounded by close friends who’ve supported him through his struggle with ketamine addiction and are helping him share his story. As we talk, Keiran reveals he’s currently on his 10th week clean from ketamine, but tackling his drug dependency has been one of the hardest things he’s ever faced.
“I started on the powders at 16”, he tells me, beginning with cocaine before moving to ketamine in the ‘free party’ scene. “I’m 21 now – at 18, 19, it started going really bad. It was like powdered alcohol at the start, [it was] incredibly potent to start with. But you build your tolerance up and it escalates heavily.”
“It’s coming out the taps.”
One of the main problems with ketamine, Keiran says, is it’s “extremely accessible” here. “Out of all of the drugs, it’s the easiest to get. [There are] younger kids selling, lots of 16-year-olds selling ketamine to other 16-year-olds, and younger [children]. It’s coming out the taps.” Keiran explains ketamine is far cheaper per gram than other party drugs, so “you can consume an absurd amount”.
The impact of regular ketamine use on his life was devastating. “It’s dissociative, you seem to be able to push everyone out of your life. It disconnects you… You’re dependent and anxious, especially when it runs out. You lose who you are on ket, you forget who you were before you took it. It ruins you.”
Despite wrestling with addiction, Keiran tried to hide what was going on from his family and friends. “I was consuming it on my lunch break, before going to work”, he admits. “Every single part of my life was going… Suddenly you realise how bad you’re treating people.” He feared he would lose his job, his license, his car, even his family.
“Eventually it just clicks in your brain: I don’t ever want to touch this stuff again.”
Keiran knew something had to change after returning from a festival where he’d been using ketamine heavily. “I came back and met my friend in an absolute state. It snapped in my head, and I ended up flushing loads down the toilet. I opened up to [my parents] about my consumption, promised to go clean, and I did. Eventually it just clicks in your brain: I don’t ever want to touch this stuff again.”
Now, over 2 months clean from ketamine, Keiran says he doesn’t want others struggling to feel ashamed or stigmatised, but to reach out for help. “You just need to make changes”, he says. “If people have walked away from you during addiction, because of the way you were, they’re not cut out of your life [forever].” Keiran says the support of friends and family has been vital to help him through, and urges other people struggling to “surround yourself with the right people.”
By sharing his story, Keiran says he hopes to bring awareness to the problem of ketamine use amongst young people in Stroud, and encourages parents to research the drug and talk to their children about it. “The best thing I’ve done is giving it up,” he says, “after what it’s done to me, and what it’s done to my friends.”
Via offer confidential advice for people in Gloucestershire seeking help with substance abuse, you can self-refer on their website or call them on 01452 223 014.
*names have been changed to protect the identity of those who’ve shared their experiences.
Alex Parnham-Cope is a multi-media journalist and video/podcast producer from Stroud.
Alex graduated with a 1st in Politics from Pembroke College, Cambridge and a Distinction in Broadcast Journalism MA from City, University of London.
Alex recently returned to Gloucestershire after working freelance in London, writing for Time Out, presenting and producing podcasts for Virgin Radio and video journalism for the Evening Standard. He now works as a copywriter and freelance writer for Stroud Times and Good on Paper, and an Editor at Amplify Stroud.
