Inside the terrifying 400% surge of ketamine sweeping UK – leaving Brits incontinent and paralysed
At least 41 reported deaths among students have been recorded since 1991 - some of their families have shared their stories
KETAMINE use in Britain has risen 400 per cent in the last decade, shocking figures show.
A total of 3.8 per cent of young people took the Class B drug last year compared to just 0.8 per cent in 2013.
Addiction levels have also dramatically increased, with many now living with incontinence and paralysis.
The drug is particularly prevalent among young people as it’s “pocket money cheap”.
Depending on location, a gram can cost around £10, compared to £40 for MDMA and £100 for cocaine, according to Parliament figures.
A single hit is available for as little as £3 – less than a pint of beer.
Ketamine use hit record highs among 16 to 24-year-olds in England last year, with almost one in 25 trying it at least once, data from the Office for National Statistics reveals.
This is up a fifth from 2020, and almost four times higher than levels recorded 10 years ago.
For all age groups, the figure sits at 0.9 per cent.
One in 20 young people are now considered regular users, and Home Office statistics show there has been a 884 per cent rise in ketamine seizures in just 12 months.
People in Yorkshire and the Humber are the most common users, with 1.7 per cent of all residents aged 16 to 59 admitting to trying it in 2023.
This was closely followed by the South West (1.4 per cent) and London (1.3 per cent).
Those living in the North East (0 per cent) and West Midlands (0.1 per cent) were the least likely to have tried it.
The most common users of the powerful sedative were those aged 16 to 24 – now being dubbed Generation Ketamine, or Gen K.
Drug and alcohol treatment services have reported a 53 per cent climb in the number of young adults admitting to ketamine use since August 2022.
At least 41 reported ketamine deaths among students have been recorded since 1991, with seven in 2021 alone.
Clare Rogers’ son Rian was found dead in the bathroom of his shared house four days after taking the drug.
His body was so decomposed, the police wouldn’t let her see him.
Clare, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, said: “Rian was sporty and bright, with so many friends.
“He had everything to live for, but ketamine took all that away.”
What is ketamine?
By Hayley Minn, Features Writer
KETAMINE is a powerful anaesthetic, usually used as a horse tranquilliser.
It was created in 1962 in the US and was used on American casualties in the Vietnam War from 1970.
Around 20 years ago it also became an illicit recreational drug in the UK, where it is ranked as Class B, meaning possessing it can bring up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
Dr Karenza Moore, a sociologist at Newcastle University who studies drug culture, says 16- to 24-year-olds can very easily buy ketamine on social media platforms such as Telegram and Instagram.
Like cocaine, it is sold as a grainy, white powder, but while cocaine usually costs £100 for one gram, ketamine is just £20 to £30 a gram – sometimes even less.
It can make users feel relaxed and detached, but also confused and nauseated.
Trips can last a couple of hours and can alter the user’s perception of time and space and make them hallucinate.
As it’s a painkiller, it also puts users at risk of hurting themselves without realising.
A very common side effect of overdosing is a “K-hole” – when users lose the ability to move, and feel as if mind and body have separated and they can do nothing about it, which can be very alarming.
Regular use can cause many severe side effects, including agitation, panic attacks, short- and long-term memory loss, depression and blood in the urine.
Rian started experimenting with the drug with friends at festivals but quickly became hooked following the death of his best mate, who was killed in a road accident while high.
He developed an ulcerated bladder, which had “shrunk to the size of a marble”, and was checked into rehab “like an 80-year-old man”.
“He was all emaciated and hunched over, like a crab, in so much pain,” his mum said.
Despite resisting the drug for several weeks, Rian felt its enticing pull and returned to using.
He was found dead on April 25, 2023, next to five grams of ketamine.
Vicky Unwin also knows the pain of losing a child to ‘Special K’.
Her daughter Louise Cattell died aged 21 after falling asleep in the bath in 2011.
Vicky said: “She was a very smart, switched-on girl. Old and wise beyond her years.
“It was just a really stupid mistake. She was 5ft1 and taking as much as her 6ft friends.”
Other recent ketamine casualties include Cardiff University law student Megan Pollitt, 18, who died in November 2020 after being found motionless by a flatmate, and former deputy head girl Jeni Larmour, 18, who passed away within hours of arriving at Newcastle University.
Pastor Mick Fleming, who founded Church on the Street and runs a recovery programme, said: “It’s cheaper to use ket than it is to get drunk.
“It gives you the feeling of being in your body and out of your environment, and that’s very appealing for some young people.”
Speaking to , he added: “I call ketamine the pocket money drug because it’s young people [taking it] and you can buy it for £10 a gram.
“That’s £3 each, more or less. It’s cheap.”
Professor Adam Winstock, consultant psychiatrist, addiction medicine specialist and founder of research group the Global Drug Survey, said most deaths occur as a result of accidents while high.
“Driving, entering bodies of water like baths, pools or lakes, or doing something else your body won’t be equipped for,” he said.
“The UK has been one of the leading users of ket for the last five to 10 years.”
Of the users that have survived, many have been left with temporary and life-long paralysis.
It can work out cheaper than cannabis and in some cases alcohol
Scott Ardley
Beth, an addict in her 20s, told the last month: “I can’t walk 50 metres without either needing to sit down or needing to run to the toilet.”
The drug caused a growth in her bladder, which had to be burnt away.
Danielle, another hard user, suffered 50 per cent damage to one of her kidneys and her friends are now using colostomy bags.
Others have reported filling bottles with bloodied urine through the night, having catheters fitted, and having their bladders removed entirely.
Matt, a young user from Plymouth, told BBC documentary series Drugs Map of Britain he’s had “bouts of anxiety and depression which have gone on to psychosis”.
And Alan, who says he has been taking ket “24 hours a day, seven days a week” since 1999, said: “I’m passing things in my urine, I have K-cramps.
“Medical specialists said to me very openly, ‘Ketamine rots your insides out’.”
He even carries a ‘portable potty’ around with him, admitting he goes to the toilet every 10 minutes.
But ‘K’ has an even darker side. This week, Finn Henry, 21 was jailed for killing his mum while high on ketamine.
The boxer attacked Suzanne, 54, at their family home and she died several days later from a traumatic brain injury.
He is said to have thought his mother was a “demon or devil” and launched a frenzied six-minute assault.
Finn’s dad Charles, 57, told the court during his son’s trial that it was easier to pick out the young people in their village who aren’t using the drug than the other way around.
Ketamine is now considered one of the cheapest drugs on the market.
It is widely available online, with dealers specifically targeting young people.
senior treatment advisor Scott Ardley said: “The drug is cheap, at around £10 a gram, £25 for 3.5 grams.
“We’ve heard that someone accessed an ounce (28 grams) for £90, working out to £3.21 a gram.
“It can work out cheaper than cannabis and in some cases alcohol.
“Cocaine is around £80 to £100 a gram so therefore ketamine is much more accessible as it can also be produced in the UK.
“Social media has an impact, which is hugely popular in the younger generation, specifically Snapchat, where drug dealers are able to communicate and sell due to disappearing messages and ease of access which also makes it harder for the police to track.”
Record amounts of ketamine were seized by police and border forces in the year to March 2022, rising 884 per cent from 208kg to 1,837kg.
