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BBC News
03-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Ketamine: Would making the drug class A stop Gen Z using it?
"Upgrading ketamine to Class A just means that young people will take dirtier, unsafe drugs, the money will go to the dealers and no one wins."Vicky Unwin's words come from experience - the drug policy reform campaigner lost her daughter in 2011 to a ketamine is part of Anyone's Child, a decade-long campaign that lobbies for change in the government's current drug policies, calling for illegal drugs to be legally regulated. But their mission is not favoured by everyone. David Sidwick, Dorset's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) believes strongly in the criminalisation of drugs and said "making ketamine Class A sends a strong message on its dangers". It comes at a time when the use of ketamine has soared among young Home Office has described the drug as "extremely dangerous" and said it has requested advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs about reclassifying it. Ms Unwin, who lives in London, was among a group of parents who took part in an annual lobby at parliament last is the chair of Transform Drug Policy Foundation, a charity that aims to reform the UK's current drug laws and believes criminalising the dissociative drug does not have a positive impact. After her 21-year-old daughter, Louise Cattell, died 14 years ago, she began campaigning for more effective harm reduction around the explained how she had decided to "take a bump of the drug instead of buying a very expensive alcohol", then went on to run a bath and watch some TV. She fell asleep and drowned in the her daughter's fatal experience, Ms Unwin does not believe harsher laws surrounding ketamine would have saved her said: "I believe very strongly that legal regulation and decriminalisation are the only ways to really deliver harm reduction."If you classify drugs and make them illegal, all that happens is they go underground."People want to have fun and they want to experiment and if you say 'no' to someone that's the surest way they are going do something that they're not allowed to do." What is ketamine? Ketamine is a powerful horse tranquilliser and anaesthetic. It is a licensed drug and can be prescribed medicallyHowever, when misused, it can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to the bladderIt is currently a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971This means the penalty for possession is up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both If it was upgraded to Class A, the penalty for possession would increase to seven years, falling in line with drugs like cocaine, heroin and ecstasy (MDMA) Ms Unwin's perspective is not the only view on the Sidwick, Dorset's PCC, is among politicians lobbying for ketamine to be upgraded to Class is the addiction and substance misuse co-chair within the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. Mr Sidwick said: "If it is Class A, firstly it sends a strong message about the dangers with it, but secondly it will lead to more investment in treatment, prevention and awareness, and that's what we badly need."In recent years, ketamine usage has made more headlines due to growing concerns around the damage it can cause to a user's bladder. Chronic ketamine usage affects the lining of the bladder and can shrink this year the BBC spoke to a recovering addict from Portsmouth who faced bladder problems after taking the drug in her teens and latest government figures show the drug's usage among 16 to 24-year-olds in England has tripled since Sidwick was particularly concerned by this: "There has been years of counter propaganda from organised crime groups who will talk to our young people and they will say 'this drug will make you feel better'."Well, I'm sorry, but it doesn't make you feel better when you are in a genital urinary ward waiting for someone to do something to your bladder."He added: "I don't want young people wearing nappies for the rest of their lives because of that drug."Ms Unwin also feels Gen Z has a bad relationship with ketamine, but urged the issue to be treated as a health problem rather than a criminal emphasised: "Please don't take ketamine, it really is dangerous and because there's so little drug education in schools, they only talk about coke and heroin, they don't talk about ketamine and the party drugs." Anne-Marie Cockburn, a fellow Anyone's Child campaigner and mother from Oxford, agrees with Ms Unwin's lost her 15-year-old daughter, Martha Fernback, to an overdose in 2013 and believes that her death could have been avoided if she had access to information on harm reduction when taking Cockburn said: "I'm not promoting drug taking for under 18s, my daughter was only 15."But what I do say is had she gotten her hands on something that was labelled with a list of ingredients and recommended dosage, she would not have taken enough for five-to-10 people in one go and died of an accidental ecstasy overdose three hours later." A Home Office spokesperson said: "Ketamine is an extremely dangerous substance and the recent rise in its use is deeply concerning."The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention has requested advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs about reclassifying it as a Class A drug and will consider that advice carefully and quickly once received." But Ms Cockburn does not think the government is doing added: "It just makes me feel like they're almost playing a game with families like ours."If it was a member of their family, they would be taking this seriously."We need to look at human behaviour and the reality of what's going on in our society." If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story you can access help and advice on the BBC Action Line website here. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
The National
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Scottish drug safety activist Peter Krykant dies age 48
The campaigner inspired many to regard addiction as a health issue and paved the way for state-backed safe drug consumption areas. He famously operated from his van in Glasgow's city centre between 2020 and 2021 in a bid to help those with drug addiction. READ MORE: SNP minister responds to 'secret meeting to discuss John Swinney leadership' reports Police Scotland have said that no suspicious circumstances surround the death at his home in Larbert, Falkirk, on Monday, according to the Daily Record. Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who helped man the mobile service with Krykant, which was regarded as illegal at the time, said the 48-year-old's campaigning helped make significant changes to Scotland's drugs policy. 'I'm shocked and saddened to hear of Peter's death,' he said. 'We can't underestimate the contribution he made to the drugs debate in Scotland, which came amid many years of increasing overdose deaths. 'He undoubtedly played a major part in changing policy in a political a system that was very much set in its ways and resistant to the kind of radical change that Peter advocated. 'The overdose prevention facility in Glasgow, which is now operating successfully, came after many minds were turned by Peter's efforts.' Sweeney added that Krykant's efforts to force the opening of legal drug consumption areas in Scotland brought international recognition. He said: 'I worked alongside Peter on the van, which itself came to be an iconic sign of the changes that were occurring in attitudes in Scotland and the UK as a whole. 'Peter also travelled the world to tell others about his methods to disrupt and bring change. 'He will be very sadly missed.' In 2021, Krykant met then first minister Nicola Sturgeon and held talks about opening an official Drug Consumption Room site. Following several months of running his van in Glasgow's city centre, Krykant donated the facility to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation and its Anyone's Child campaign, which took it on a UK tour. He later took on roles with Cranstoun UK, a drug service provider. Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP described Krykant as a tireless campaigner for a fairer, more compassionate approach to handling drug misuse and addiction. He said: 'We are all deeply saddened to hear of Peter's passing. Everyone from the Scottish Greens is thinking of his family and friends at this extremely difficult time. 'Peter was a tireless campaigner for a fairer, more compassionate approach to handling drug misuse and addiction, and his campaigning has left such an important legacy in the UK's first safe consumption room in Glasgow. 'His advocacy for drug reform, and of course, his yellow van, have no doubt saved countless lives in Scotland.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 5.15pm on Monday, 9 June 2025, police attended an address in Graham Avenue, Larbert following a report of a concern for person. 'The body of a 48-year-old man was found within.
Daily Record
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Peter Krykant dies suddenly as tributes paid to pioneering Scots drugs reformer
Krykant, who battled addiction issues, was found dead at home in Falkirk. He inspired many to regard addiction as a health issue and paved the way for state-backed safe drug consumption areas Tributes have been paid to drugs policy reformer Peter Krykant after his sudden death. The campaigner, who battled addiction himself, became a public figure after setting up an unofficial drugs consumption room in a converted ambulance. He famously operated from the van in Glasgow city centre in 2020 and 2021 in a bid to tackle the city's rampant addiction crisis. Police Scotland have said that no suspicious circumstances surround the death at his home in Larbert, Falkirk, on Monday this week. Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who had helped man the mobile service, which was regarded as illegal at the time, said 48-year-old Krykant's efforts had helped make significant changes to Scotland's drugs policy. Sweeney said: 'I'm shocked and saddened to hear of Peter's death. 'We can't underestimate the contribution he made to the drugs debate in Scotland, which came amid many years of increasing overdose deaths. 'He undoubtedly played a major part in changing policy in a political a system that was very much set in its ways and resistant to the kind of radical change that Peter advocated. 'The overdose prevention facility in Glasgow, which is now operating successfully, came after many minds were turned by Peter's efforts.' Sweeney said Krykant's efforts to force the opening of legal drug consumption areas in Scotland brought international recognition. He said: 'I worked alongside Peter on the van, which itself came to be an iconic sign of the changes that were occurring in attitudes in Scotland and the UK as a whole. 'Peter also travelled the world to tell others about his methods to disrupt and bring change. 'He will be very sadly missed.' Krykant launched his drugs bus after the Daily Record ran a powerful campaign to liberalise drugs laws, which highlighted Scotland's status as the drug deaths capital of Europe. In 2021 he met then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to hold talks on the opening of an official Drug Consumption Room site. After running his van in Glasgow's city centre for several months, Krykant donated the facility to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation and its Anyone's Child campaign, which took it on a UK tour. He later took on roles with Cranstoun UK, a drug service provider. It became public knowledge that Krykant suffered from ongoing personal trauma related to drug taking and suffered relapses in recent years. He had been visiting London in the days before his death but had returned to his flat in Larbert when friends became concerned about his wellbeing. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 5.15pm on Monday, 9 June 2025, police attended an address in Graham Avenue, Larbert following a report of a concern for person. 'The body of a 48-year-old man was found within. 'His next of kin has been informed. A post mortem examination will be carried out in due course. The death is being treated as unexplained.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
