In April 2023, my beloved son lost his life to ketamine toxicity. He was just one of many young people caught in the grip of an addiction that silently destroys lives. Ketamine not only broke down his mental health — it caused irreversible damage to his bladder, left him in excruciating physical pain, and ultimately led to his death.

Like many others, his use began recreationally at festivals. But after the tragic death of his best friend and the isolation of furlough during the Covid-19 pandemic, his drug use spiralled. He became trapped in a vicious cycle — taking ketamine to numb the pain caused by the very damage the drug was inflicting on his body. He passed blood and parts of his bladder lining. He suffered “K cramps” so severe he could hardly move. And still, there was little understanding or support available.

Despite these risks, ketamine remains a Class B drug in the UK, a classification that fails to reflect the true scale of its harm.

This has serious consequences:

Education: School drug education focuses heavily on Class A drugs like heroin or crack, while ketamine is often barely mentioned — even though it’s increasingly used by young people.

Treatment: Addiction services tend to prioritise Class A drugs, making it harder for ketamine users to access urgent support. Many fall through the cracks, misunderstood or mislabelled.

Policing: County lines and criminal justice interventions focus on Class A substances, while ketamine is often overlooked, despite growing links to organised distribution and serious harm.

Statistics

Admissions for ketamine increased from 426 in 2014–15 to 3,609 in 2023–24, now 2.3% of all adult treatment entries—over eight times higher in less than a decade 

Among young people aged 16–24, ketamine use reached roughly 3–3.8% in 2023—more than four times higher than the national average (0.8%) 

Although ONS 2024 death certificate data is not yet fully available, emerging figures from King’s College London (as shared by Caroline Copeland from the Kings College London on Sky News) suggests the number of ketamine-related deaths in 2024 could be as high as 200 individuals—a significant and concerning increase from published figures in 2021 (70 deaths) thats an increase of 185%.

We need change.

I am calling for ketamine to be reclassified as a Class A drug. Not to punish users — but to:

Reflect the real dangers of ketamine addiction

Encourage more effective education in schools

Ensure ketamine users receive equal access to treatment

Strengthen the policing and deterrence of illegal supply

This reclassification would send a powerful message: that ketamine is not harmless. That its risks are real. That young people deserve better protection — and those struggling with addiction deserve recognition and support.

Please, in memory of my son — and the memories of others that have lost thier lives to this drug — sign this petition. Let’s raise awareness. Let’s push for change. Because one more life lost is one too many.

Link to my Facebook page for more information 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094394077528

Link to my sons story in the national newspaper 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23979859/youngsters-cheap-cocaine-substitute-ketamine-death/?fbclid=IwAR2kFco5HLyzf5V8qxR0xs_NSdIrvm0Smo4q3P-Fw0w-C4X1otQNCLIsJoM