Debate contribution: Ketamine: Reclassification

Debate contribution by Ms Joanne Bunting on 11 March 2025.

MLA

Ms Joanne Bunting

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

11 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Ketamine: Reclassification

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4855716

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. This is an important subject, and, from the outset, I commend the tireless campaign of Sandra Larmour, whose advocacy, born from a profound and tragic loss, has illuminated the urgent need for increased awareness and a reclassification of ketamine. Jeni Larmour from Newtownhamilton was 18 and on her first day at Newcastle University when, in October 2020, she lost her life to ketamine and alcohol. I have spoken to Sandra, and she has told me that Jeni was a really bright, strong, switched-on, ambitious girl with her whole life ahead of her.

Parents think that it will never happen to their child, that their child is sensible — but so was Jeni. Sandra reiterated that what happened to Jeni was so far removed from who she was and how she was raised. She was not a party kid; her nose was always in a book. She had a close circle of friends, and they socialised in one another's homes. All that changed within hours of her arrival at university, when she met her new flatmates and Kavir Kalliecharan, who was later charged with possessing drugs but not supplying them. Neither he nor Jeni's flatmates sought help; they just left her lying there that night. He was able to go on with his life: Jeni's was over. Sandra's campaign began following Jeni's heartbreaking death. Her bravery in the face of unimaginable grief has been an inspiration. She has fought with unwavering dignity and determination, seeking not only justice for her daughter but to protect other families from the same tragedy. No family should experience that heartache and bury their child. Sandra has called for a reassessment of the risks posed by ketamine, a substance that has, in recent years, reached record levels of prevalence. From such a tragedy, however, has come something worthwhile. Education Minister Paul Givan met Sandra, and, as of tomorrow, a production that has been touring schools in Northern Ireland to educate our young people on the severe dangers of drugs will have reached over 3,500 young people across 24 schools. What exactly is ketamine? It was developed as an anaesthetic for medical and veterinary use but has since found a new identity and is sought after by recreational drug users because of its dissociative effects. At about £20 per gram, ketamine is cheaper than other illegal drugs such as cocaine and MDMA, and that contributes to its widespread use. In recent years, the British Isles have witnessed a significant rise in ketamine use, especially among young people. Indeed, the Home Office has said that the illegal use of ketamine has reached record levels, citing the estimate that 269,000 people aged between 16 and 59 reported using ketamine in the year ending March 2024. The effects of ketamine are apparently short-lived, so people quickly develop a tolerance, which results in them taking increased doses with greater frequency to get the same high. The problem is — I will explore this in more detail later — that it has a false reputation as a safe drug with limited potential for overdose or dependence and few side effects. That is just not true. Readily available and comparatively inexpensive, it has recently been reported as the fourth most popular recreational and sixth most commonly used drug in the UK. Far from the perceptions of ketamine as a safe drug, we are advised that chronic use can lead to cognitive impairments, memory issues and psychological disturbances. The long-term impacts on the human body, however, are not yet fully known. What we know is that the health impacts of its abuse on those who survive can be devastating and have far-reaching effects. Ketamine use has led to serious and irreversible consequences for some. The facts are these: it is an extremely dangerous drug that can lead to severe health problems, including irreparable damage to the bladder, liver and kidneys. I want to give some insight into the health impacts from those who have found themselves profoundly impacted by the aftermath of ketamine. I apologise that some of the descriptions are graphic and disturbing. They are direct quotes from sufferers, all in England. Matt said:

"I started taking ketamine in clubs and parties in Bristol but things started to spiral out of control after nearly going to jail. I was just using it to cope with life really, just using more and more until my body couldn't hack it and I started getting really ill. It started creeping into every aspect of my life and becoming the main part of my life. I started selling drugs to support that. Everyone around me started getting stomach cramps and getting really ill and peeing blood. ... I hated being me. I think I was trying to kill myself without actually giving up. ... I've woken up on the bathroom floor with blood everywhere fitting out on the floor, where I have been in so much pain. I eventually got into heroin because it was the only thing that got anywhere near to easing the pain that ketamine caused. ... I had numerous suicide attempts because I couldn't cope with how much pain I was in. I was actually peeing out chunks of my bladder. The bladder wall was falling apart. There was so much scar tissue. I was permanently curled up in a ball unable to stop sweating just in absolute agony. Eventually I might have to have my bladder removed and half my bowel removed to make a new bladder. I'm scared about the side effects of the operation, not being able to have kids, the prospect of it not working. It's an evil drug which is just corrosive on your body; it just strips you down in a matter of years. It was uncontrollable."

Jamie said:

"I was going to the toilet numerous times every hour. At one point I couldn't actually pee because my blood was clotted. It was the worst pain I have ever had. I never want to feel that again. I thought I was going to lose my bladder."

George said:

"I was going to the toilet every five or 10 minutes. I had to stop working, I have to plan journeys, my social life's out of the window. I used to go to festivals and it was a cheap drug to get. I started using it socially but then I started using it daily. Many a night it had me in a foetal position crying because I couldn't go to the toilet. It's destroyed what I call life as I know it. A year ago I couldn't hold my toilet. I needed a cup in the van to go to the toilet when I was driving. I can't get the full use of my bladder back unless I have surgery."

This is the last one, from a guy called Jack Curran:

"I couldn't go to work – couldn't do anything. I'd be living in my room with a hot-water bottle, getting in the bath every half-hour or every hour through the night, in absolute, extreme agony."

Additional text indicates that his bladder was riddled with ulcers and could stretch to only 30 millilitres. Normal capacity is between 300 millilitres and 600 millilitres. At 25, Jack was periodically wearing nappies. Members can see just how horrific the consequences can be, but, as with all bad things, the problem is that nobody ever thinks that it will happen to them or to their child. I will now speak about spiking, which is the term used when individuals are unknowingly and maliciously drugged. It is a particularly disturbing crime that often leads to serious physical and emotional harm, because victims are then vulnerable to horrendous secondary offences, often sexual, and left with little clear memory of what exactly happened. Young women are disproportionately affected by spiking. Data from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) shows that 74% of those reporting spiking are female, with an average age of 26, but an increasing number of males have been spiked. Ketamine is increasingly being used for spiking and is particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol, because, together, the two have a very powerful effect that, in extreme cases, can lead to coma or death. Ketamine is one of the most detected substances in instances of spiking. The Government are seeking advice on whether to reclassify the drug in line with narcotics such as cocaine, heroin and MDMA, so they wrote to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on 14 January to commission updated advice on ketamine, including whether it should be reclassified to become a class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. By the way, in 2014, ketamine was upgraded from class C, and the maximum penalty for producing and supplying ketamine is currently 14 years in prison. If it is raised to class A, the offence could result in a life sentence for supply and production. We welcome the Government's decision to commission advice on whether ketamine should be reclassified as class A. That is absolutely a step in the right direction, but we must ensure that the voices of families like Sandra's are heard in the decision-making process. It is vital that the Government listen to those who have experienced the devastating impact of ketamine at first hand and take their experiences into account. That is where the Minister of Justice comes in. We know that it is a reserved matter, but we strongly believe that the Justice Minister has a role to play in working with the Home Office to allow families affected by ketamine and relevant stakeholders from Northern Ireland to have their voices heard and be included in the review. The voices of those who have lived through the nightmare of ketamine-related deaths should be amplified, and their experiences and insights could be invaluable in shaping future regulation. The reclassification of ketamine is not just a policy issue but a matter of protecting our communities by taking swift and decisive action. We can prevent further tragedies, support affected families and send a strong message, before it gets a grip on Northern Ireland, that the misuse of ketamine will no longer be tolerated. We ask the Minister to work with the Government to put in place arrangements for those from Northern Ireland to inform the review and any future decisions. If the testimonies that I read aloud do not make a convincing case, consider the views of Senior Coroner Mutch from south Manchester at the inquest of a young man called James Boland. The record shows that the inquest heard evidence that Mr Boland had previously used cocaine but had switched to ketamine on the basis that, because it was a class B drug, he perceived it to be less harmful. Sandra Larmour has shown us what it means to fight for change in the face of great personal loss. Let us honour her daughter's memory and the memory of all those who have been lost to ketamine and other drugs and dangerous substances by standing with her campaign and pushing for a safer, healthier future. On that basis, I encourage Members to support the motion.

1,871 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification