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BBC News
3 days ago
- 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.
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'.
Metro
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Could cannabis be decriminalised in the UK?
The cannabis debate has resumed in full force after the Mayor of London renewed his call for decriminalisation. The controversial topic has made headlines again after Sadiq Khan backed calls for possession of small amounts of natural cannabis to be decriminalised after a new report made a 'compelling' case for it. Campaigners fear that countless lives could be ruined for a minor possession for personal use if the law is not changed, which they say disproportionately targets marginalised communities. The London Drugs Commission study, led by Lord Falconer and backed by more than 200 experts and academics, urged the government to change how cannabis possession is policed. Lord Falconer, the chair of the report, said: 'This is the most extensive consideration of what is the correct public policy response to cannabis in recent times. 'It is clear that a fundamental reset is required. Legalisation is not the answer. The criminal justice system response needs to focus only on the dealers and not the users. 'Those who suffer from the adverse effects of cannabis – which may be a small percentage of users but it is a high number of people – need reliable, consistent medical and other support.' But, is there a change on the way, and is cannabis use in the UK already decriminalised anyway? Cannabis has never been officially decriminalised, but there is already a 'de facto decriminalisation' in some areas, Steve Rolles, a senior policy analyst with Transform Drug Policy Foundation told Metro. Currently, cannabis is a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, meaning possession can lead to a fine, imprisonment and a criminal record. Decriminalised – Decriminalisation of a drug like cannabis, or some aspects of use or possession, is about removing criminal sanctions for the offence, and there would be no criminal record – Decriminalisation of a drug like cannabis, or some aspects of use or possession, is about removing criminal sanctions for the offence, and there would be no criminal record Legalisation – This would allow a regulated and taxed cannabis market to exist in some form. In a legalised system, which exists in many US states, cannabis could be sold through commercial pharmacies or shops, or, like in Malta and Germany, through cooperative-owned associations The report is proposing that cannabis be regulated under the Psychoactive Substances Act instead, which would mean there would no longer be a criminal punishment like a fine or caution that leavers a criminal record, potentially forever. Steve said: 'A lot of people have their lives blighted by criminal records. It can impact your work, your ability to travel, to get housing and finance, and affect relationships, and it can be very stigmatising. 'Criminal record from cannabis use is affecting marginalised communities, in particular young black men. And those records can blight their lives forever. 'If you can't get a job or housing, you are more likely to get into crime. And those are the things we are trying to stop. 'And it is a huge drain on police resources, and every time police focuses on that, it is away from something else.' A full-scale decriminalisation could reduce stop and searches for cannabis which 'many do not consider worse than a pint,' he said. Users would be diverted to other services away from the criminal justice system, which is already under pressure. Steve said: 'We already have these schemes in a number of police forces, but not all of them. They are called diversion schemes, and it happens in some London boroughs too.' He said the diversion approach is 'decriminalisation in practice.' The Met Police – the UK's biggest force – has not warmed up to the thought of decriminalising even small-scale possession. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that while drug use is a 'big issue' for communities, a change in the law is 'not something we're calling for.' Steve accused the Met Police being 'behind the curve,' saying that the College of Policing has 'advocated for diversion as a best practice.' He said that decriminalising possession is 'not the same as legalising anti-social behaviour in public or proposing to legalise anti-social behaviour while driving.' 'Legalising does not mean legalising everything, like giving cannabis to children or flying a plane when out of your mind. No one is talking about that,' he said. People can access medical cannabis legally when it is prescribed by a specialist doctor. This became possible in 2018. The expert said that diversion is 'kind of the same' as decriminalisation, which many police forces do in practice. 'There are 14-15 forces, including the whole of Scotland, where possession is treated as a diversion, where you will not get arrested and a criminal record for small-scale possession of any drug,' he said. 'Durham was one of the first to do it, and Bristol, where we are based, is very good for diversion.' Germany partially decriminalised small amounts of cannabis possession from July 2024. Brazil has also decriminalised personal use of cannabis, the largest country to do so. Malta went a step further when it became the first European country to legalise the cultivation and possession for personal use, followed by Luxembourg. Canada allowed the recreational cultivation, possession, acquisition and consumption of cannabis in 2018, the second country after Uruguay to do so. In the US, Recreational cannabis use is allowed in 24 out of 50 states, while medical use is allowed in 39 states. At a federal state, possession and distribution is technically illegal, but the law is generally not enforced, and there are plans for a review in the pipeline. It appears that the government has no intention to change to law anytime soon. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We will continue to work with partners across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use, ensure more people receive timely treatment and support, and make our streets and communities safer. 'The government has no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act.' And Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is unlikely to push for this to change either. He told Politico in 2023, when he was still in opposition, that his party has 'no intention' to change drug laws, and their approach is 'settled.' More Trending Steve told Metro the government is dragging its feet on drug reform, saying it is likely to change eventually. 'We are on the cusp of change. 'Either public opinion continues to tilt towards reform, or it will be economic priorities. 'We would generate about 1 billion in revenue and save about half a billion in the criminal justice system. We are hosing a lot of money into a failing policy, and those realities could come back to bite the government.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Urgent warning after two die in London taking 'blue pills' MORE: British couple arrested in Spain after '33kg of cannabis found in suitcases' MORE: Man jailed for killing girl, 3, after taking '20 lines' of cocaine
