Debate contribution: Ketamine: Reclassification
Debate contribution by Mr Doug Beattie MC on .
- MLA
- Mr Doug Beattie MC
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 11 March 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Ketamine: Reclassification
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4855761
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Illegal drugs create many victims. Those who find themselves addicted to illegal drugs are victims. Addiction is insidious, and it destroys their lives. Their families face dealing with that drug addiction as they watch their loved ones slowly dissolve in front of them. They are also victims. Without a doubt, we must improve our addiction support services, and the Health Department plays a key role in that. There are those who lose their life through drug addiction, and the stigma of that is carried by their families long after their death. Of course, there are also those who experiment with taking drugs just to fit in with the crowd, thinking that it is safe to do so, with tragic consequences. I welcome the DUP's motion and will, of course, support it. I acknowledge Sandra Larmour's dignity and her campaign to reclassify ketamine after the tragic loss of her daughter, Jeni. Many will argue that we must relook at how we deal with illegal drugs in our society and throughout the United Kingdom. I have some sympathy for that view and would gladly enter any discussion about it. Right now, we deal with illegal drugs through a criminal justice framework in combination with Health and Education. I am glad that the Justice Minister is here, but the responsibility does not sit just on her shoulders. We must support her and her Department. It is clear that the Government now see a major issue with ketamine. In January this year, they sought legal advice on reclassifying ketamine as a class A substance, after illegal use reached record levels. Pink cocaine is a class A drug. It targets the young, and ketamine is often found in it. Ketamine is licensed in the UK as an anaesthetic. It can be used for short-term pain relief, but it is not available on prescription. That legitimacy, combined with ketamine's status as a class B drug, gives everyone the impression that taking it or continuing to use it is safer, but it is not. Ketamine can suppress the nervous system, particularly when it is added to alcohol. That can be dangerous and even deadly. Sadly, the majority of ketamine users are aged between 16 and 24. Drug dealers know that and deliberately target that age group. Earlier this year, a £6·4 million shipment of illegal drugs, including ketamine, was seized by the PSNI. It is clear that, if action is not taken, organised crime groups such as the Firm, which is in my constituency, will exploit the lower classification of ketamine. The misunderstanding is that it is a safer drug, but it will create more victims. As I said at the start of my contribution, we need to have the difficult conversation about our strategy for dealing with illegal drugs and about how we deal with addiction. However, taking into account how dealers use ketamine to exploit young people and mix it into drugs such as pink cocaine, I am absolutely in favour of ketamine being reclassified as a class A drug. My respect and condolences are with Sandra Larmour today, as the tragic loss of her beautiful daughter, Jeni, reminds us all how fragile life is.
530 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.05 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.91).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.99).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.04 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.05 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.05 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.91 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.61 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.15 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.12 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.07 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.03 |
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.
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