It has been reported this week in the press that ketamine use is higher in the UK than elsewhere in Europe.
Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System show that the number of people getting treated for ketamine related health issues has doubled in the last 5 years.
What is ketamine ?
Originally a powerful veterinary anaesthetic developed in 1962 Ketamine has been around as a drug of abuse for about 10-15 years, but it is only in the last 3-4 years that we have started to see an increase in its abuse.
Ketamine is an illegal class B drug of abuse . It was upgraded from class C earlier this year.
As well as the immediate anaesthetic effects of the drug which are often described as giving an ‘out of body experience’ or in some cases a ‘near death experience’, ketamine use can cause long term problems including serious bladder & kidney problems.
Ketamine has also been used as a date rape drug by spiking drinks.
There are many street names for ketamine including Ket, K and Special K.
Are there drug testing kits for ketamine ?
Ketamine can be detected in urine for up to 3-5 days after the last use