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· collected 2026-09-06 · by David Barrett Home Affairs
According to new Home Office figures, ketamine has surpassed amphetamines in popularity as an illegal party drug, with police seizing 1,845 offenses related to the veterinary tranquillizer in 2025-26, a 151% increase from 735 offenses in 2020-21. Merseyside is reportedly the "ketamine capital of Britain", with 331 possession offenses recorded in 2025-26. The true scale of ketamine use may be higher due to Home Office counting rules that record suspects caught with multiple substances against the most serious one. Experts warn of grave risks associated with ketamine, including temporary paralysis, hallucinations, and long-term damage such as memory loss and organ damage.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
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Story summary
Ketamine, a veterinary tranquilliser, has become the most seized illegal party drug by police in England and Wales, surpassing amphetamines. In 2025-26, there were 1,845 offences of possessing ketamine, a 151% increase from 735 in 2020-21. Meanwhile, amphetamine possession has more than halved over the same period, falling from 2,576 to 1,209. The rise of ketamine has raised concerns about its use among young people, who may be drawn to it due to its relatively low cost - a single "hit" can cost as little as £2, cheaper than a pint of beer. The drug can have severe consequences, including temporary paralysis, heart problems, hallucinations, and even death when mixed with other substances or alcohol. Supermodel Cara Delevingne has spoken out about her own struggles with ketamine addiction in the past. The government has expressed concern over the growing use of ketamine, despite rejecting calls to classify it as a Class A substance alongside heroin and cocaine.
Written for “Ketamine Use Spikes Among Youth” on 2026-09-07,
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Leaning score withheld for article 6309: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-07
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Ketamine is soaring in popularity as an illegal party drug, new figures show, as police seize more of it than amphetamines.
Home Office figures reveal forces recorded 1,845 offences of possessing the veterinary tranquilliser in 2025-26, up 151 per cent from 735 in 2020-21.
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forces → see → 2020
By comparison amphetamine possession has more than halved over the same five years, falling from 2,576 offences to 1,209.
The data will intensify concerns over ketamine becoming a dominant drug among young people despite grave risks – with a single 'hit' costing as little as £2, far less than a pint of beer.
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ketamine → halve → beer
Known as 'K' or 'Special K', the drug can lead to a relaxed and dream-like sensation, but taking too much can cause temporary paralysis in what users term a 'k-hole'.
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users → know → what
It can be fatal, especially when mixed with other drugs or alcohol, and can lead to heart problems and hallucinations.
Longer-term use can lead to memory loss, mental health problems and organ damage.
A separate survey of every police force in England and Wales, carried out under freedom of information laws, revealed how sharply the drug has taken hold in individual areas.
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drug → mix → areas
Ketamine in its powdered form, a veterinary tranquilliser used as an illegal recreational drug
Responses showed Merseyside is the ketamine capital of Britain, with police there recording 331 possession offences in 2025-26, nearly three times the Metropolitan Police's tally.
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police → use → tally
The true scale is likely to be higher still because Home Office counting rules record a suspect caught with several drugs against the most serious substance alone, which would hide ketamine behind cocaine.
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which → record → cocaine
Home Office data also shows most users caught with the drug escape with little more than a ticking off, with fewer than a third of outcomes in 2025-26 ending in a charge.
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third → show → charge
Almost half of those cases were settled with an informal disposal such as a 'community resolution', up from just over a fifth in 2020-21, when the drug was far less widely used.
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drug → settle → 2020
Zaheen Ahmed, of drug treatment specialist the UKAT Group, said: 'Ketamine addicts are presenting to our treatment centres in dire states.
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addicts → say → states
Young men and women, some as young as 18, are already incontinent or have severe bladder problems, including excruciating cramps and needing the toilet every five minutes.
'
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men → have → toilet
Every single person we're treating for ketamine addiction has said the same thing to us: they never believed ketamine could cause this level of damage to their body.
uncertain
ketamine → treat → body
It's so sad to see but we're treating more people so far this year than we ever have done in a full year.'
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we → see → year
Research by King's College London has counted 696 deaths involving illicit ketamine since 1999, with victims including RuPaul's Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne and Friends star Matthew Perry.
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victims → count → Perry
Supermodel Cara Delevingne became the latest star to lay bare its grip, revealing in June that she spent her twenties hooked before getting sober in 2022.
Ketamine's growing dominance comes just months after government drug advisers, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), rejected calls to upgrade it from Class B to Class A, the same as heroin, crack and cocaine.
A government spokesman said: 'We are committed to driving down drug-related harms and deaths, and remain on high alert to the dangers of ketamine and other emerging drug threats.
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We → become → ketamine
'We are carefully considering its recommendations, including on the appropriate classification of ketamine.'
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We → consider → ketamine
