Surge in use of Ketamine as party drug, HSE warns
Too Can Described Or Much Around Ketamine Is Taken, Move Seizure Affecting To Into If A Ability Of “k Hole”, Garda A People As Easily Go Speak The
A party drug that was once on the margins of Ireland’s nightlife and festival scene has witnessed a “noticeable increase” in its popularity in recent years, HSE experts have said.
Officials are concerned at the “noted lack of knowledge” among users over the effects of Ketamine, with medics treating cases of seizures brought on by the drug at music festivals over the summer.
Ketamine, legitimately used as an anaesthetic for humans and animals, is a euphoric drug with psychedelic qualities that has been on the drug scene for some time.
However, HSE officers have been documenting a rise in its usage, particularly among younger drug users.
Writing in the , the HSE National Social Inclusion Office said the use of ketamine has become a “prominent feature” of recreational drug use in Ireland.
It said ketamine, which is also known as ‘K’, ‘ket’, ‘Calvin Klein' or ‘CK’, is also used with other ‘club drugs’ for its stimulant and euphoric effects.
The HSE drugs.ie website says: “What this means is that it can make people feel detached from themselves but also experience a ‘trip’.”
On lower doses, ketamine provides a sense of both euphoria and dislocation and a feeling of floating.
“When used as a recreational drug, it can produce feelings of euphoria, stimulation, relaxation, detachment from oneself as well as psychedelic experiences in higher dose,” according to the HSE.
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.
The current situation in the journal paper was outlined by Nicki Killeen in the HSE National Social Inclusion Office, Sinéad McNamara, attached to the HSE National Drug Treatment Centre, and Professor Eamon Keenan of TCD and HSE Addiction Lead.
It said figures from a 2021 European survey reported that 23% of Irish respondents had said they had used ketamine, which the article said was “considerably higher” than in 30 other participating countries.
“Use in the survey was recorded as higher among the younger age cohort which is reflective of where this trend is now presenting,” the paper said.
It said the HSE ‘Safer Nightlife Programme’, which ran the harm reduction and ‘back of house’ drug checking at festivals in 2022 and 2023 reported ketamine as a “significant nightlife trend”, second to the use of MDMA (ecstasy) pills and powders.
The HSE researchers said that of the 266 substances that were surrendered to the HSE at the festivals, 117 were MDMA, 40 were ketamine and 34 were cocaine.
“Of concern was the noted lack of knowledge often expressed by festival attendees on the effects of ketamine and medical concerns observed across events related to ketamine this summer, in particular ketamine-related seizure activity,” the paper said.
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