Ketamine now a Class B drug: People caught possessing horse tranquiliser face five years in prison

Ketamine, known as Special K, has been made a Class B banned substance

Anyone caught possessing drug will be punished with up to five years in jail

Horse tranquiliser was used by up to 120,000 people last year, say figures

Achieved notoriety when former Co-op boss was caught trying to buy drug

Its new Class B status has been accepted by Home Secretary Theresa May



Approved: The recommendation that ketamine should be upgraded from Class C to B has now been accepted by Home Secretary Theresa May

Ketamine, the horse tranquiliser used as a party drug, will today be made a Class B banned substance amid fears it is ruining young people’s health.

Anybody caught possessing the drug will be punished with up to five years in jail.

Ketamine, known as Special K, was used by up to 120,000 people last year, according to Home Office figures.

But there is mounting evidence that it is causing huge health damage - with people as young as 20 being forced to have their bladders removed.

In December last year, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said that ketamine should be upgraded from Class C to B.

That recommendation has now been accepted by Home Secretary Theresa May.

Ketamine has been linked to a string of deaths and achieved notoriety when the Reverend Paul Flowers - the disgraced ex-boss of the Co-op bank - was caught trying to buy the drug.

Originally designed as an anaesthetic and tranquilliser, often used on horses during veterinary surgery, ketamine was first banned as a recreational drug in 2006.

Once the drug is upgraded to Class B, people caught with it in their possession could face up to five years in prison and ketamine dealers could be jailed for up to 14 years.

Other Class B drugs include cannabis, amphetamines, such as speed, and barbiturates.

The ACMD said users of the club drug need to be made aware of the long-term risk.

Awareness campaigns should also be run at festivals and in nightclubs so users and staff are aware of the effects on users - who are vulnerable to rape, robbery and assault because of the way the drug can make people unaware of their environment.

Notorious: Ketamine has been linked to a string of deaths and achieved notoriety when the Reverend Paul Flowers (pictured) - the disgraced ex-boss of the Co-op bank - was caught trying to buy the drug

ACMD bosses said: ‘Ketamine misuse can cause a range of physical and psychological harms.

‘There has been an increase in acute ketamine toxicity presentations to hospitals in recent years.

‘In addition, there is now good evidence that frequent and heavy ketamine misuse can cause significant toxicity to the bladder, urinary tract and kidneys.