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The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Addictions & Substance Misuse joint lead David Sidwick has expressed his disappointment at the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ recent recommendation that ketamine should remain a Class B drug. Commissioner Sidwick yesterday said:

“This decision fails to reflect the clear and escalating harm ketamine is causing in our communities, particularly among young people, and it risks perpetuating the dangerous misconception that this is a low-risk substance.

“Increasing the classification to Class A matters – it influences public understanding and supports higher prioritisation for enforcement attention and funding for treatment and prevention of harms. By not making this vital change, we are missing a critical opportunity to send a strong, unambiguous message that ketamine misuse is a serious threat and must be treated as such.

Use of ketamine among 16 to 24-year-olds has exploded by 231% since 2013 and 244 death certificates have cited ketamine as a cause since it was reclassified as a class B drug in 2014. Clearly, the current approach targeting ketamine use is not reducing demand. Increasing the classification to A would clearly reflect the danger of this drug, reinforce deterrence messages, while strengthening the support offer for chronic users.

Across the country we are seeing devastating consequences of ketamine misuse on families and communities, as well as the growing burden it places on policing and health services. It is a cheap drug that is easily accessible, with police reporting usage among children as young as 12. The fact the NHS has had to set up specialist ketamine clinics across the country demonstrates its alarming growth and impact.

We urge the government to act in the best interests of the public and overrule this recommendation, as previously happened with nitrous oxide in 2023. The ACMD’s recommendation on ketamine was not unanimous and therefore must be scrutinised further.  

We are concerned that if the trend continues, hospital admissions, life-changing harms, and deaths could increase, alongside the overall costs to society. If the government does not decide to reclassify, we urge ministers to prioritise funding and interventions to prevent young people from turning to ketamine in the first place.

Notes

• David Sidwick is the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset
• More information on the ACMD’s decision can be found via gov.uk