lequebecfume
01-15-2009, 08:10 AM
New Shock over dance drug use.
Published Date: 15 January 2009
BLACKPOOL was today named among a list of UK towns and cities where the use of the harmful dance drug ketamine is on the rise.
DrugScope found users were injecting the drug – more commonly used as an animal stimulant – to maintain their high.
A gram of the drug, known as "Special K'' or "Raver's smack'' has dropped in price by a third in three years and now costs £20, halADVERTISEMENT
f the price of a gram of cocaine, DrugScope research found.
Ketamine use was on the rise in nine out of 20 areas surveyed, researchers discovered. The British Crime Survey last year revealed use was up 10 per cent on 2006/07.
The areas reported to have seen an increase in ketamine use were: Portsmouth, London, Bristol, Ipswich, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, Blackpool and Newcastle.
Martin Barnes, chief executive of DrugScope, the UK's leading independent centre of expertise on drugs, said: "These trends are concerning.
"Ketamine has been increasingly common on the club scene, but there is worrying evidence people are experimenting with larger amounts or are even injecting the drug.
"Ketamine's harms increase considerably at high doses and by injecting users risk exposure to blood-borne viruses such as Hepatitis C or HIV.
"Evidence of young people using ketamine is a particular concern, especially as many users may underestimate the risks involved.
"It is essential that we provide young people with clear and accurate information on the dangers of ketamine so that they can fully appreciate the drug's considerable harms.''
In low doses, ketamine is used as a tranquilliser for horses, but in recreational doses of up to 200 times the medical dose it can cause heart or lung failure.
Deaths from ketamine use are most often linked to accidents which happen while users lose control. There were 23 ketamine-related deaths between 1993 and 2006.
Ketamine was ranked more harmful than Ecstasy and cannabis in a survey of harm carried out by Prof David Nutt, who chairs the Government's drug advisory panel.
It was made illegal three years ago and is ranked in class C alongside anabolic steroids.
A Home Office spokesman said: "We recognise the risks posed by ketamine and that is why it was brought under control as a Class C drug. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs continues to monitor the situation, but there are no plans at this time to reclassify the drug.''
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/New-shock-over-dance-drug.4879574.jp
Published Date: 15 January 2009
BLACKPOOL was today named among a list of UK towns and cities where the use of the harmful dance drug ketamine is on the rise.
DrugScope found users were injecting the drug – more commonly used as an animal stimulant – to maintain their high.
A gram of the drug, known as "Special K'' or "Raver's smack'' has dropped in price by a third in three years and now costs £20, halADVERTISEMENT
f the price of a gram of cocaine, DrugScope research found.
Ketamine use was on the rise in nine out of 20 areas surveyed, researchers discovered. The British Crime Survey last year revealed use was up 10 per cent on 2006/07.
The areas reported to have seen an increase in ketamine use were: Portsmouth, London, Bristol, Ipswich, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, Blackpool and Newcastle.
Martin Barnes, chief executive of DrugScope, the UK's leading independent centre of expertise on drugs, said: "These trends are concerning.
"Ketamine has been increasingly common on the club scene, but there is worrying evidence people are experimenting with larger amounts or are even injecting the drug.
"Ketamine's harms increase considerably at high doses and by injecting users risk exposure to blood-borne viruses such as Hepatitis C or HIV.
"Evidence of young people using ketamine is a particular concern, especially as many users may underestimate the risks involved.
"It is essential that we provide young people with clear and accurate information on the dangers of ketamine so that they can fully appreciate the drug's considerable harms.''
In low doses, ketamine is used as a tranquilliser for horses, but in recreational doses of up to 200 times the medical dose it can cause heart or lung failure.
Deaths from ketamine use are most often linked to accidents which happen while users lose control. There were 23 ketamine-related deaths between 1993 and 2006.
Ketamine was ranked more harmful than Ecstasy and cannabis in a survey of harm carried out by Prof David Nutt, who chairs the Government's drug advisory panel.
It was made illegal three years ago and is ranked in class C alongside anabolic steroids.
A Home Office spokesman said: "We recognise the risks posed by ketamine and that is why it was brought under control as a Class C drug. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs continues to monitor the situation, but there are no plans at this time to reclassify the drug.''
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/New-shock-over-dance-drug.4879574.jp