Recreational ketamine shoots up among youngsters, triggers warnings

Recreational ketamine use is on the rise in New Zealand, particularly among young people, with experts linking the trend to declining alcohol consumption, rising mental health struggles and misconceptions about the drug’s risks.

Ketamine, which is intended for the use of anaesthetic and pain management, has seen a significant increase in drug tests and usage across the country.

According to the drug testing foundation Know Your Stuff’s 2024 annual report

524 positive drug tests for ketamine were found in 2024 compared to just four in 2016.

Know Your Stuff general manager Casey Spearin says this test increase is not surprising as Customs saw a “massive increase” in ketamine seizures at the border in 2019-2020.

“Anecdotally, we have seen an increase in people using ketamine recreationally over that time,” says Spearin.

She believes the decrease in alcohol consumption among younger people may be contributing to the use of recreational drugs.

As a recreational substance, ketamine is known as a “party drug,” along with drugs like MDMA and cocaine.

According to an anonymous user, the drug “induces a dream-like state, leaving users numb and relaxed.”

However, overconsumption of the drug can induce a “K-hole” that leaves users detached from the reality and make them unable to move on.

“I experienced a K-hole once.

“[It felt] like my mind was still awake, but I was stuck staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t move and I felt so sick,” says the user.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Massey University Robin van der Sanden studies drug use and drug markets and how ketamine fits in with circulating substances.

“There's only a small number of synthetic drugs that have become ongoing in the drug landscape, one of which is MDMA, another of which is meth.”

“There is evidence not just in New Zealand, but internationally, that ketamine is on a similar trajectory.”

While ketamine is commonly known for its recreational uses, it has other purposes.

Postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Otago Jai Wheelan specialises in drug use across Aotearoa and highlights some positives of ketamine use.

“There are definitely people out there seeking it out and not because it's fun but because it has potential therapeutic benefits,” says Wheelan.

Research done by Harvard Medical School linked to ketamine shows that the drug can have positive impacts on individuals dealing with severe anxiety and depression as well as hard to treat mental illnesses.

“We do have an approved [ketamine] product here in New Zealand for treatment-resistant depression, the Spravato nasal spray.

“It has a very high cost, so I can understand why people who may be desperate are turning to other forms of ketamine,” Wheelan says.

Although Wheelan acknowledges the positive uses of the drug, van der Sanden notes how the secondary uses of ketamine may be misguiding users.

“I would say that it definitely does increase the desirability of these drugs and an impact on people’s risk perceptions.

“People perhaps have this idea that there's maybe not many side effects associated with ketamine as a result,” says van der Sanden.

LISTEN: Robin van der Sanden discusses the therapeutic uses of ketamine.

Ketamine bladder syndrome is an issue that chronic ketamine users face; however, Wheelan says this should not be the concern for casual users.

“Being drunk and [taking a lot of ketamine] can cause people to end up hitting the deck vomiting, and potentially all while unconscious.”