Experts advise UK government not to reclassify ketamine as a Class A drug

The UK government has been advised that ketamine should not be reclassified as a Class A drug by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).

The advisory body, which comprises academics, law enforcement and medical professionals, published its findings last week on January 28, though the recommendation comes with the caveat that it was "by no means a unanimous decision".

Illegal use of ketamine, which is currently a Class B substance, hit record levels in the year ending March 2023, with an estimated 299,000 people aged 16 - 59 reporting having used the drug recreationally. The statistics led the government to announce that it was seeking expert advice on reclassification last January.

At the time, Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Ketamine is an extremely dangerous substance and the recent rise in its use is deeply concerning.”

Read this next: The rise and fall and rise of ketamine

The report found that “possible advantages of reclassifying ketamine were outweighed by the disadvantages", which include increasing the stigma around ketamine and discouraging people to seek addiction support while not reducing its use. 

A former ketamine user Jack Curran, who said the drug “caused carnage” in his life, spoke to Sky News, saying: "Ketamine was the thing that brought me to my knees, and if it was Class A, it still would have done the same job, I still would have used it.

"In my experience, all I needed was support, and to find some sort of recovery through rehabilitation, I didn't need punishment. I was struggling with an illness of addiction."

The possibility of increased policing resulting in “higher prices, increased risk of adulteration of supplies and more income-generating crime" was also cited in the report.

As a Class B substance, the maximum penalty for supplying and producing ketamine is 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

Read this next: People are paying to get ChatGPT high on ket and coke

Last October, it was reported that ketamine-related deaths have risen by 2000% since 2014.

The serious health problems it can cause include irreversible damage to the bladder and kidneys. The drug is also used legally in clinical settings as an anaesthetic.

While the ACMD did not recommend reclassifying ketamine, it is pushing for a "whole systems" approach to harm reduction, stating that "availability of co-ordinated services for people, and in particular for children and young adults with ketamine use disorders, remains inadequate".

Read the report here.