Shocking toll of Britain's growing ketamine crisis

KETAMINE-BASED admissions have doubled at a leading rehab clinic, highlighting the drug’s soaring toll.

- By Chris Riches

Patients as young as 21 need incontinence pads, as long-term use of the hallucinogenic sedative can cause irreversible bladder and kidney damage.

Ketamine abuse killed Friends actor Matthew Perry at 54 in 2023 and James Lee Williams, 32 - known as TV drag queen The Vivienne — died in January from cardiac arrest brought on by the drug.

The UK Government has sought advice on upgrading the anaesthetic from a Class B drug to Class A, as an estimated 269,000 people aged from 16 to 59 admitted using it last year.

Lancashire Police recently revealed that officers are finding ketamine addicts as young as 12.

Spiking

Normally prescribed for animals, its effects make it a popular party drug but it is also one of the most common substances found in drink spiking.