DDN_May_2025 DDN May 2025 | Page 4

NEWS ROUND-UP

Half of people with ketamine use disorder not in treatment

Nearly half of people who are affected by ketamine use disorder are not seeking any support or treatment, according to a new study led by the University of Exeter and UCL.

The study, which is supported by NIHR and published in the journal Addiction, is the largest of its kind to‘ explore the experience of people currently living with ketamine addiction in-depth’, says the University of Exeter.
Researchers studied more than 270 people through both interviews and questionnaires, with many respondents saying they were unaware of the risks of dependency until their use was already out of control – one referred to the drug as‘ the heroin of a generation’. Many also said they felt‘ too embarrassed’ to seek treatment.
Ketamine use in the UK has reached‘ record levels’, with 269,000 adults reporting using
it in the year to March 2024. The drug was controlled as a class C substance in 2006 and then reclassified as class B in 2014, on the recommendation of the ACMD. However the Home Office is currently seeking the ACMD’ s advice on whether to reclassify it as class A. Trials are also underway to investigate the drug’ s suitability for clinical use in treating people with alcohol problems( DDN, September 2024, page 5).
Sixty per cent of the people studied for the report had experienced bladder or nasal problems, with 56 per cent reporting organ cramping –‘ K cramps’ – which can often lead to people using more of the drug for pain relief. Almost 60 per cent of participants in the study felt there was‘ definitely not’ enough awareness of the risks associated with ketamine use, which can include the need for a urostomy bag or even full bladder removal.
‘ We know that ketamine use is on the rise, with a number of high-profile tragedies linked to ketamine addiction,’ said Professor Celia Morgan of the University of Exeter.‘ Meanwhile, a growing number of clinical trials are finding therapeutic benefits involving ketamine in carefullycontrolled environments, combined with therapy. Our research is the first to analyse in-depth the experience of people using very large amounts of ketamine, and shows the devastating physical health problems people can face with dependent ketamine use. Our study also highlights the barriers that people with ketamine addiction face when they try to seek treatment, often being sent away from treatment services.’
The landscape of ketamine use disorder: Patient experiences and perspectives on current treatment options at https:// onlinelibrary. wiley. com
‘ Our research is the first to analyse in-depth the experience of people using very large amounts of ketamine.’
PROF CELIA MORGAN
icpr-conference. com

Scottish hospital stays up 15 per cent

Health organisations urge Irish govt to guarantee alcohol labelling

THE NUMBER OF DRUG-RELATED HOSPITAL STAYS in Scotland increased by 15 per cent last year, according to figures from Public Health Scotland( PHS). There were 11,136 drug-related hospital stays in 2023-24, up from 9,654 in 2022-23. Almost half of the people admitted to hospital for drug-related reasons lived in the country’ s most deprived areas, the agency adds.
The overall rate of drug-related hospital stays was 212 per 100,000 population, up from 2022-23’ s rate of 186 per 100,000 but below the 2021-22 level of 242 per 100,000. The highest stay rate was for opioids, while the highest patient rate was among 35 to 44-year-olds. The stay rate for cocaine also reached its highest ever level, at 39 per 100,000.
Drug-related hospital statistics: Scotland 2023 to 2024 at https:// publichealthscotland. scot /
AN OPEN LETTER signed by more than 75 health organisations and others is urging the Irish government to ensure that the introduction of alcohol health labelling goes ahead next year. The signatories want to make sure that the planned introduction is not‘ derailed or delayed by alcohol industry lobbying’, says the Alcohol Action Ireland( AAI) charity.
Ireland became the first country to commit to mandatory health labelling for alcohol products in 2023, in a move lauded by WHO and other health bodies. While the labelling guidelines are set to be introduced next May after a three-year lead-in period, AAI says the industry has been conducting‘ an ongoing campaign disparaging the need for labelling’( DDN, February, page 6).
The introduction of health labelling will ensure that consumers‘ are given the facts’ about health risks, AAI says, including the links with cancer and liver disease and the risks of drinking while pregnant.
‘ It is essential that the public is provided with facts about alcohol as opposed to the spin from an immensely profitable, global industry which leaves the individuals, families and the state to pick up the tab for the damage its products cause,’ the letter states.‘ The alcohol industry should have no influence on public health policy.’
Open letter at https:// alcoholireland. ie /
' It is essential that the public is provided with facts... as opposed to the spin from an immensely profitable, global industry.'
4 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MAY 2025 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM