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Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Joy Allen has welcomed government plans to seek expert advice on the reclassification of ketamine to a Class A drug.
The move has been taken after illegal use of the drug reached record levels in the year ending March 2023.
According to the Home Office, an estimated 299,000 people aged 16-59 reported ketamine use in the last year - the largest number on record.
The County Durham Commissioner said she wanted those who supply and traffic the dangerous drug to be treated in the same way as those supplying drugs like heroin and crack cocaine – and called for more preventative work to stop young people being drawn to the drug in the first place.
Currently, ketamine is a Class B substance. Those caught supplying and producing it face a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has written to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to seek advice on ketamine and to consider whether it should remain controlled as a Class B substance or become a Class A drug.
Joy Allen, who is Joint Lead for Addictions and Substance Misuse on behalf of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) alongside Dorset PCC David Sidwick, wrote a joint letter to the policing minister to support the review, stressing that it would send a message to the public on the harmfulness of the drug.
She said: “A large volume of attention has rightly been on synthetic opioids, but it is important that we do not overlook other dangerous substances such as Ketamine, which can cause serious long term physical and mental health issues, and lead to addiction.
“We are very concerned about the growing use of ketamine in our communities given the extremely serious harms it causes – including long-term liver damage and in some cases young people having their bladders removed and note that the NHS has recently set up specialist clinics to address these problems.
“As Police and Crime Commissioners we want to see those who supply and traffic this dangerous drug treated in the same way as those supplying drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.
“Of course, this is about more than enforcement. It’s partly about sending a message on the harmfulness of ketamine through the classification system. We also need to do more to prevent young people from being drawn into ketamine use in the first place, and we need for better treatment at the other end when people reach out for help.”
The Commissioner is co-chair of the National Drugs Lead Forum along with her APCC colleague David Sidwick and is responsible for tracking the progress of drug strategy priorities and steering future work to ensure the approach to drug harm in England and Wales remains effective.
After significant lobbying, the Commissioner was instrumental in securing a ban on nitrous oxide – seen by many as a gateway to harder drugs – and supported the implementation of a ‘drug testing on arrest’ programme locally for acquisitive crime offenders to provide a direct referral to support services for those who test positive for drugs.
Before amendments to drugs legislation can be made, the Home Office has a statutory duty to consult the ACMD under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
The Commissioner told the policing minister she welcomed an opportunity to contribute to the ACMD’s review.
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