Council backs call for action on ketamine
Cheshire West and Chester Council agreed to act against ketamine harm
Cheshire West and Chester Council has voted unanimously to act on rising concerns over ketamine use in the borough.
Councillors spoke in passionate support of the Notice of Motion put forward at the full Council meeting on Thursday, 15 May.
Cllr Lisa Denson, Cabinet Member for A Fairer Future (Poverty, Public Health and Mental Health), brought the Notice of Motion to the meeting, calling for the Council and partners to act on the illegal Class B drug, which poses significant health risks.
She said:
We are responsible – not just to respond to a problem when it becomes a crisis – but to act early, raise awareness and protect our young people. The cost of doing nothing is too high.
Cllr Denson explained that ketamine, a powerful anaesthetic which has legitimate medical and veterinary use, is increasingly being used as a recreational drug, particularly by people aged 16 to 24.
Locally we are seeing a worrying rise in ketamine use, often linked to social settings and peer influence. Hospitals across our borough have reported an increase in presentations linked to ketamine-related harm. Schools, youth workers and community safety partners are raising the alarm about how widespread and dangerously misunderstood this drug has become.
Using ketamine can cause mental and physical harm, including memory loss, anxiety, depression and irreversible bladder damage.
A ketamine working group has been set up by the Council, reporting to the Combatting Drugs Partnership. This partnership brings organisations like the Council, health, housing, community groups and the police together to address drug and alcohol use in the borough.
The working group has delivered training to more than 200 professionals who work with young people, as well as running awareness sessions for young people themselves and developing online resources.
This is just the beginning. More collaborative interventions are planned, ensuring that our local response remains proactive and evidence-based. But we cannot be complacent, we must build on this momentum supporting our front line workers, giving parents the tools to talk about ketamine, and, most of all, listen to the voice of the young people who are navigating these pressures every day.
For more information about ketamine or to access support if you are worried about your own, or someone else’s, drug use, visit: www.via.uk/services/cheshire-west-and-chester.