Council approves measures to tackle ketamine use

Ketamine was made a Class B drug in 2014, making it illegal to buy or sell

A Merseyside council has approved measures to tackle the growing problem of ketamine after a year-long review of use of the drug in the borough.

A report presented to St Helens Borough Council revealed a rise in use of the Class B drug, particularly among young people.

The council said it would implement recommendations in the report to provide more education about the drug and its dangers in local schools and communities, in addition to calling on the government to reclassify the drug as Class A.

Andy Bowden, cabinet member for health, said educating young people on the consequences of ketamine was an essential component of council strategy.

'Serious health risks'

"Ketamine use has been steadily growing in popularity in St Helens Borough, particularly among young people," he said.

"We recognised there was a problem early on, and got ahead of the game in terms of efforts to address the issue - which is not just happening here in our borough, but across the country."

Ketamine is a powerful horse tranquiliser and anaesthetic and can be prescribed medically, but when misused it can cause serious organ damage and mental health issues.

The review into its use in St Helens was carried out between September 2024 and May 2025 by a Task and Finish Group which worked with schools, health services and police, and included testimony from affected families.

Other recommendations in the report included:

• strengthening data collection and information-sharing

• raising awareness by sharing lived experiences of the impact of ketamine use

• equipping police with testing kits to help identify ketamine during seizures and target supply chains

Mr Bowden said: "This set of recommendations gives us a clear path forward, working with our partners locally and pushing for national action – including calling for ketamine to be classified as a Class A substance – so we can better safeguard the health, well-being, and future prospects of our children and young people."