December 10, 2013

ACMD report on ketamine

In March 2012 the Home Secretary asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to review the evidence of the misuse and harms of ketamine and its analogues and provide advice to inform the government’s public health response, as well as classification of ketamine.

The ACMD completed their review and presented their report to the Home Secretary. The report summarises the evidence reviewed and the ACMD’s consequent conclusions and recommendations to the government.

• How many people use ketamine; are the figures going up or down?
• How harmful is ketamine and how does it compare to other drugs and legal highs?
• What factors do you include to assess harm and what classifications drugs should be?
• What happens now? When do any changes take place?

Speakers:

Prof Les Iversen, Chair of Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford

Dr Paul Dargan, Chair of ACMD Ketamine Working Group, Consultant Physician and Clinical Toxicologist, Clinical Director at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London and Reader in clinical toxicology, King’s College London