The Ketamine Time Bomb (VICE: High Society)

Introduction

Ketamine has emerged as a defining drug for a generation of young Brits. A report from November 2020 revealed that 1-in-30 young people had used ketamine in the past year — the highest rate ever recorded and significantly higher than in other European countries. Current data ranks ketamine as the fourth most commonly used drug among young people, following cannabis, ecstasy, and cocaine.

There’s a striking contradiction at the core of what’s been dubbed “Generation K”: ketamine is both dismissed as a bizarre, almost comical horse tranquiliser and feared for its very real, dangerous effects—including the risk of severe bladder damage and addiction. As its popularity has surged, so too have cases of ketamine-related health issues, including users developing conditions that cause them to urinate blood.

In this report, Matt Shea dives into the world of Generation K to explore how a party drug can spiral into something far more harmful.

Quotes

“Ketamine has become the generation-defining drug for young Brits. Use has risen 30% year on year, mainly driven by 16 to 24-year-olds. It’s no longer an underground choice. This strange, powerful drug is as mainstream as coke or E.”

“Of course, when you do a lot of K, then you get K-Holes. I see it personally as, like, that line between being conscious and unconscious. It transports you to another literally just, like, space and time.”

“Ket’s kind of become a staple of our generation, especially in the UK. It’s just so versatile. I think that’s one of the biggest things about it. It can be a party drug, a sedative, it can be a very introspective thing.”

“Don’t touch it. And if you do, just do it in small amounts. It will absolutely annihilate you. And once you’re hooked, you can’t get out. It’s almost very similar to the smack scene. You’re always chasing that first time you’ve done it.”

JACK

“Bristol is basically the spiritual home of ketamine. It’s where there’s more ketamine seizures than anywhere else in the UK. It all started in the 80s when some Bristol hippies were backpacking around India and realized that you could buy it over the counter there, and you can make tons of money if you brought it back to the UK. And now it’s one of the most popular drugs in the free party scene here. There’s even a term that people use, “Bristol bladder,” to refer to the erosion of the bladder wall from prolonged ketamine use.”

“In the last five years, it’s rivaling cocaine on the party scene. You can sell hundreds of grams in a week. People have started to buy it more and more as the cheaper drug of choice.

“One in four people who use ketamine, even once a month, have some kind of bladder symptom. When ketamine enters the bladder, it damages the epithelial cells of the bladder lining. These umbrella-shaped cells are designed to contain urine .But if they become too damaged, urine can seep through, damaging the inner layers of the bladder wall. This can scar the bladder’s muscles, reducing its ability to expand.”