The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said new evidence had shown frequent ketamine use could cause “severe and disabling” bladder damage according to reports in the UK press. The report states that the drug should be upgraded from a Class C drug to Class B according to the UK government. Ketamine became popular in the 90s in the UK when many mistook the drug for the recreational drug ecstasy.
Ketamine is an anaesthetic drug used in both humans and animals but is now a popular recreational drug in the UK known as “K” or “Special K”, the use of which can cause severe bladder damage. For this reason, under a new classification, the illegal possession of ketamine could result in a five-year jail sentence. Supplying the drug could lead to up to 17 months in jail.
According to the UK Home Office, 120 000 people in the England and Wales had taken the drug. The age group represented was between 16 and 59. In some cases users have had to go for bladder-stretching operations and others have had their bladder removed, according to reports out of the UK.
However, Prof David Nutt, a former government adviser, said that there was no need to change the rules and said that if rules on the legal use of ketamine were changed and it had stored and locked away, vets would not be able to use the drug in the field and animals “will suffer”.
According to reports, the Home Secretary Theresa May has asked the Council to review the evidence on ketamine last year due to her increasing concerns about its misuse and potential dangers.
“I’ve learnt that you give advice and it’s not always taken,” said Prof. Les Iversen when referring to whether the Home Secretary would reclassify the drug. There are also recommendations that Ministers ask pharmacists and hospitals in their constituencies to impose tighter controls on the storage of Ketamine at their institutions. Cannabis and amphetamines are also classified as Class B.
Prof Valerie Curran, professor of psychopharmacology at University College London said that consultation with the medical community prior to making any final decision was a good thing.
