City doctor warning of ketamine epidemic

A BIRMINGHAM doctor has spoken of an "explosion" of young people taking a drug which has swept the country.

- HARRY LEACH News Reporter

Mo Belal, a consultant urologist at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said teens as young as 16 were being treated for the effects of ketamine. The class B substance carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine.

But the Government is seeking expert advice on reclassifying it as a class A drug in response to statistics showing record levels of use in the year to March 2023.

Ketamine can cause permanent damage to the bladder and kidneys and, according to the Government, is often found in the synthetic drug 'pink cocaine'.

Mr Belal told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Unfortunately, they don't realise the chronic and long-term use of it results in a very shrunken bladder with severe pain.