Patterns of use and harms associated with non-medical ketamine use

AIM: To (1) identify current patterns of non-medical ketamine use; and (2) identify potential harms associated with non-medical ketamine use. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey of lifetime ketamine users. SETTING: Semi-structured interviews took place in public and private settings in Sydney Australia. PARTICIPANTS: One Hundred ketamine users. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported experiences with and attitudes towards ketamine use. FINDINGS: Ketamine appeared to be added to an already extensive drug use repertoire of a well-educated and informed sample. Many users reported regularly experiencing effects such as an inability to speak, blurred vision, lack of co-ordination and increased body temperature, which resulted in some either reducing their dose or stopping use. CONCLUSIONS: Many users had experienced significant negative effects, such that some had either reduced their dose or stopped use altogether and expressed concerns over some others. This study reinforces the need to develop harm minimisation campaigns that match the experiences and attitudes of their target group through careful needs assessment and appropriate evaluation.