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‘It’s not worth the high’: Ketamine addicts getting younger and showing more severe signs of bladder issues
13 May 2025, 06:02 | Updated: 13 May 2025, 11:52
A suggested 85% increase in the use of Ketamine in England and Wales in the past year is seeing younger addicts showing earlier signs of serious health problems, LBC has heard.
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The drug is said to be so cheap and accessible that children ‘can afford it with their pocket money’ – a gram, which could be shared amongst multiple users, costs around £20.
And with a rise in mental health issues, experts say ketamine is becoming the illegal drug of choice for teenagers.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) says 16-24 year-olds make up two thirds of the substance’s users, describing the trend as being ‘concerning’ as experts say young people need to better understand its risks.
Ketamine is widely known as being a horse tranquiliser and is often used in the NHS as an anaesthetic and pain reliever, but over the past decade it’s become a popular dissociative drug on the black market.
The Home Office has asked for a review into whether the Class B substance should be made Class A.
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“I’m lucky to be here”
One recovering addict, from Southeast London, has warned young people ‘it’s not worth the high’, as he shared his story of being put into a coma.
Louis Ebdon, who’s 34 and from Bexley, started using the drug when he was 16 years old and told LBC: “It got to the point where my day revolved around the thought of how I was going to get my next bit of drugs.
“I had severe bladder issues and was rushed to hospital because I became so poorly. The urine wasn’t coming out and had backed up to my kidneys, which gave me sepsis and pneumonia.
“They put me to sleep, and I was in an induced coma for 10 days. And I think they rang my mum and dad and said, ‘you need to come to visit him, he’s not going to make it’.”
Now two years clean, Louis was asked what his first thought was when he woke up from the coma.
“Honestly, I’m lucky to be here,” he said, “but my addiction was so strong that my first thought was ‘how can I get drugs?’
“That is what addiction does to you. You’ve nearly lost your life, and you are still quite willing to continue and participate in taking what’s nearly killed you.”
“Next drug pandemic”
The addiction treatment group UKAT warned ketamine is becoming the ‘next drug pandemic’ as figures released through a freedom of information request found the substance is killing someone in England and Wales every week.
53 deaths were recorded as being linked to ketamine in 2023, compared to just seven in 2015.
Drag Queen The Vivienne’s death in January this year was said to have been caused by the effects of taking the substance, according to their family.
James Lee Williams’ relatives said they hoped by sharing the cause of death, that more people would speak about the dangers of ketamine addiction.
Visiting a rehab facility in Oxfordshire, LBC was told of the profound impact the drug is having on teenagers, who are checking in to use the services more than ever before.
Nick Dunkley, UKAT’s Centre Manager at Banbury Lodge, said: “We notice we’re getting people that are getting younger and who have more extensive bladder issues, more stomach cramping.
“I don’t think I’ve met one person who has been abusing ketamine who doesn’t have bladder problems, it doesn’t discriminate like that and it’s not about the length of use either. A bladder removal is common - it’s not unusual.”
“It’s pocket money prices”
Asked why so many young people were turning to the drug, Mr Dunkley said: “It’s extremely accessible - more so than I think most of us would realise - and it’s extremely cheap.
“It’s pocket money prices, so children would be able to take a couple of quid for bus money from their parents and be able to buy a gram between two or three of them. And they can take it consequence free in the moment, there’s no smell, no comedown.
“Combined with the increase in mental health issues and the desire to disassociate and disconnect - put all those together, it’s rife. It’s been a bit of a silent enemy, people didn’t see it coming.
“Most people would be blown away by how prevalent it is.”
The policing minister announced in January that she had asked for expert advice on whether ketamine should become a Class A substance, pointing to the fact it’s also one of the most detected drugs in incidents of drink spiking.
Dame Diana Johnson said: “Ketamine is an extremely dangerous substance and the recent rise in its use is deeply concerning.
“Through our Plan for Change and mission to make the nation’s streets safer, we will work across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply.
“It is vital we are responding to all the latest evidence and advice to ensure people’s safety.”
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is due to report back to the Home Office later this year.
“It’s a crafty silent drug”
The National Crime Agency labelled the increased demand for Ketamine on Britain’s streets as being one of the biggest threats facing the country this year.
Adam Thompson, the agency’s lead for drug threats, told LBC reclassifying the substance would have a benefit.
“Having Class A attached to a drug means that there are stronger sentences - up to life imprisonment - for supplying it which has a potentially stronger deterrent effect.”
He added: “Wherever there is a demand for something like ketamine, organised crime groups will step in and look to maximise the profits, so we’ve seen an expansion in the supply of ketamine alongside some other traditional drugs.
“It’s definitely driven us to step up our enforcement against the supply of ketamine into the UK so we’ve increased the priority that we attach to it, and we've created some new activity that will be looking to bear down on organised crime groups involved in bringing these drugs into the country.”
Through wastewater analysis, the Home Office estimated that 299,000 people used ketamine in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023.
Reflecting on his sobriety in Southeast London, Louis Ebdon told us: “It’s a crafty silent drug.
“It’s sold as a party drug and when people say you won’t get addicted to it - you can’t get addicted to it - that’s nonsense. You can.
“And it’s a silent drug but it’s probably one of the nastiest in terms of the effects it's having on your body.”
He said after the interview that even if sharing his story could help one person avoid the issues he’s now living with, it would be worth it.
Drug and alcohol support services can be found here.
