Overview

• An analysis by King's College London of coroner reports across England, Wales and Northern Ireland identified 696 deaths with illicit ketamine detected between 1999 and 2024, with a roughly 20-fold increase since 2015.
• The proportion of cases where ketamine was the sole or primary cause has fallen, with opioids, cocaine, benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids frequently co-implicated.
• Researchers report a shift in the risk profile toward older, socioeconomically disadvantaged and dependent drug users; between 2020 and 2024, 85% of the deaths were men and most were ruled accidental.
• Estimated illicit use rose to 299,000 people aged 16–59 in 2024, with researchers noting ketamine’s relatively low street price of about £15–30 per gram compared with roughly £80 for cocaine.
• The Home Office has sought ACMD advice on possible reclassification, while study authors call for drug checking, overdose prevention, better treatment pathways and targeted education, and the NHS has begun specialist clinic provision for young people.