Use of ketamine 'increasing in popularity' among festival-goers
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A euphoric drug that has been used on the margins of Ireland’s festival scene appears to be “increasing in popularity”, particularly among younger people, a HSE report indicates.
Ketamine, legitimately used as an anaesthetic for humans and animals, has been coming to the increasing attention of health experts on the drug scene.
A new report compiled by the HSE based on interviews with volunteers working with the agency’s harm reduction programme at music festivals backs up this trend.
“Overall, within the Irish festival scene, ketamine appears to be a substance increasing in popularity based on discussions on outreach, particularly among younger populations,” it said.
The HSE Safer Nightlife Programme report also raised concern over “a noticeable knowledge gap among attendees [of festivals] on risks around ketamine".
On lower doses, ketamine or 'ket' provides a sense of both euphoria and dislocation and a feeling of floating.
“Ketamine is what’s known as a ‘dissociative’ and psychedelic type drug,” according to the HSE drugs.ie website. “What this means is that it can make people feel detached from themselves but also experience a ‘trip’.
“When used as a recreational drug, it can produce feelings of euphoria, stimulation, relaxation, detachment from oneself as well as psychedelic experiences in higher doses.”
If too much is taken, people can go into a “K-hole”, described as an intense feeling of being disconnected from one’s own body, often affecting the ability to speak or move around easily.
The drug is often taken in powder form and snorted or swallowed in paper ‘bombs’, meaning dosage can be difficult to gauge, particularly for inexperienced users.
One volunteer told the HSE report: “People seemed comfortable in their knowledge of alcohol, ecstasy tablets and cannabis.
"Almost everyone I spoke to knew someone who was taking ketamine and many spoke of seeing people going into a ‘K-hole’, where they were unable to fully control the use of their limbs and appeared disorientated.”
The report said, over the three festivals volunteers operated, MDMA (ecstasy), cocaine, ketamine, cannabis, and alcohol appeared to be the drugs most commonly discussed with volunteers.
One volunteer said: “Trends on outreach interactions were large amounts of alcohol mixed with cannabis and ecstasy/MDMA.”
Another volunteer said: “Main trends I noticed were increased use of ketamine and cocaine, and powders generally. Lots of mixing between drugs and mixing with alcohol also.”