1 in 20 Young People in the UK Have Tried Ketamine
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic which produces a trance-like state at higher doses. It does provide pain relief but is also heavily sedative in its action, which often leads to total amnesia or blackout. This had led to Ketamine being used as a date rape drug. On the other hand, it is often used in hospital emergency rooms to help with painful injuries and broken bones, and in 2019 the FDA approved a ketamine based nasal spray for use with treatment resistant depression.
So while ketamine is safe to use in the controlled environment of a medical practice, it is potentially hazardous when taken for recreational reasons. All of this is concerning because it’s use is on the rise, particularly in the UK. According to Time Out magazine, ketamine is fast becoming Britain’s go-to party drug, with 2022 seeing record amounts of ketamine seized by UK police and border forces. A staggering 1 in 20 young people in the UK now claim to have tried ketamine.
