Crisis in UK towns as drug that killed Friends star Matthew Perry wreaks havoc

The UK's soaring ketamine crisis has been highlighted by one of Britain's top rehab clinics where cases have doubled - as thousands play "Russian roulette" with their lives. And shockingly they have told us how patients aged just 21 are even wearing incontinent pads, as long-term use of the drug - which claimed the life of US Friends star Matthew Perry aged 54 in 2023 - causes irreversible bladder and kidney damage.

In January, the government sought advice on upgrading the anaesthetic to a Class-A drug with illegal use rising and an estimated 269,000 people last year aged 16-59 admitting using it. While earlier this month Lancashire Police revealed they are seeing kids aged just 12 hooked on the drug.

Normally used on animals, the sedative's hallucinogenic effects make it a popular party drug - but it also one of the most common substances found in drink-spiking crimes.

Last November, a coroner in Manchester demanded ketamine be re-classified after entrepreneur Jamie Boland, 38, died of sepsis from a kidney infection caused by "long-term use of ketamine".

Now one of Britain's top rehab centres has warned the Daily Express of rise in cases and young men needing incontinence pads or even needing "their bladder removed."

Martin Preston, founder and CEO of Delamere rehab centre in Cheshire, told us: "Ketamine related admissions at Delamere have doubled in a six month period, showing the severity of the addiction problem in the UK.

"It's more accessible than it has ever been. There's no doubt one of the main reasons for the sharp rise in ketamine addiction cases is due to how cheap the drug is.

"In some parts of the country, one gram can cost as little as £10, and can be bought on several social media platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram, and even Soundcloud.

"It's unsurprising that the vast majority of adults that check-in at Delamere for ketamine treatment are under 30 years old. Every time someone takes a line of ketamine, it's like they are playing Russian roulette.

"Long term physical health effects, such as 'ketamine bladder syndrome' can be debilitating. It can cause the chord between your kidneys and bladder to become inflamed, and your bladder can shrink as a result.

"We've seen many people in their 30s having to rely on a Zimmer frame to move comfortably, and men as young as 21 wearing pads because they're incontinent.

"A lot of these men have been forced to stop, or they'll have their bladder removed."

Guests at Delamere - where a 28-day treatment would start at £18,500 - with ketamine as their primary substance, now account for 15 to 20 per cent of the centre's spaces.

Martin explained that going back 15 or 20 years, ketamine was seen as a kind of niche but "dirty drug" that most people steered clear from.

He fears the appeal to young people is due in part because "the effects wear off quite quickly, so you don't have a hangover as such and could return home or to school after using."

Originally an anaesthetic from the 1960s, it was used as surgical anaesthesia by the US in the Vietnam War and is regularly used in veterinary medicine.

Currently categorised as Class B, it also causes what have been dubbed severe 'K cramps', debilitating bladder problems, and an increase in social isolation.

Delamere psychiatrist Dr Catherine Carney, an addiction specialist since the early 2000s, said in her early career her knowledge of ketamine was limited to its use by vets.

But she has noticed: "For a lot of people who come in, the social aspect is totally gone. They're sitting in the bedroom using it four or five times a day, totally socially isolated, withdrawn from the normal activities and friends.

"Quite often, if they've been using it a while they may have bladder problems or stomach cramps but because it is an anaesthetic they find the only thing that gets rid of them is ketamine. So they get stuck in this revolving cycle."

Many young people find themselves at Delamere when the agony of their physical symptoms has reached breaking point, unable to hold won jobs or sleep due to their bladder issues.

So the clinic takes guests through a detox, then focuses on the root cause of the addiction and the circumstances that have brought guests to where they are - like using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), or holistic approaches like reiki.

Martin told us: "I think that the lack of education around the harmful health impacts of ketamine also plays a part in the recent rise in cases.

"But recent high profile celebrity deaths caused by ketamine have sparked a conversation that we hope will drive the reclassification of the substance to Class A."

James Lee Williams, best known as drag star The Vivienne, , their family confirmed earlier this year.

The 32-year-old's sister, Chanel Williams, said the family "continue to be completely devastated" by the loss and are now dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of the drug.

The Vivienne was never a patient at Delamere but had spoken openly on RuPaul's Drag Race UK about seeking hospital help for ketamine addiction.

While after a fatal ketamine dose was injected, with the 54 year-old actor addicted to high quantities of the pain-numbing drug.

Five people have since been charged with Perry's drug-related death, including two doctors and the actor's personal assistant.

Earlier this month - after arresting 15 people over ketamine supply - Lancashire Police admitted they have seen kids aged as young as 12 hooked on the drug.

Insp Matt Plummer, from Lancashire Police, said illegal ketamine usage was a problem across the whole of the county with many residents reporting their concerns and "children as young as 12 and 13" addicted.

Insp Plummer said: "It's being used recreationally among children of that age and that is where we will see the issue now for Lancashire Police and this is happening across Lancashire."

Grace Willsher, from the drug support charity, WithYou, said: "It's very cheap, it is very easy to get hold of and it is used by young people very similarly to alcohol.

"A lot of young people - if we think about county lines and exploitation - they themselves can be brought into that network around where they get it from."

The charity, which supports people aged 11 to 24, said the number seeking help across Lancashire increased from 32 in 2018-19 to 123 by the end of 2024.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) whether ketamine's classification should be changed and "carefully consider" its findings.

Ketamine was upgraded from a Class C substance in 2014 due to mounting evidence over its physical and psychological dangers.

Currently, the maximum penalty for producing and supplying ketamine is up to 14 years in prison. Possession can carry up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

Should it be upgraded to a Class A drug, supply and production of it could carry up to life in prison, while possession could carry up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

Last November Greater Manchester South senior coroner Alison Mutch warned that businessman Jamie Boland started taking the drug as he believed it to be "less harmful" than Class A drugs.

Mr Boland, who was the founder and owner of Ancoats Coffee Co in Manchester, died on 19th June 2024.

In concluding Mr Boland's inquest she found he died from sepsis caused by complications of acute pyelonephritis "probably contributed to by the complications of chronic ketamine use".

She continued: "The evidence at the inquest was ketamine use causes huge long-term life-changing health problems. In Mr Boland's case, it had caused long-term urological damage and liver damage."

In a tribute, Ancoats Coffee Co described him as a "pioneer in bringing specialty coffee and coffee culture to Manchester".

The coroner concluded: "Maintaining its classification as a Class B drug was likely to encourage others to start to use it or continue to use it under the false impression it is safer."

While Jamie's grieving parents Maureen and Jim warned: "Ketamine should be reclassified to Class A, backed by a national, high-profile public awareness campaign. Someone needs to be visiting schools to warn of the dangers.

"We feel that very little is known and understood by young people, parents and schools. This is a relatively new area for the medical profession too which is discovering the damage that it can cause and what treatments, if any, can be effective.

"We saw the damage that it did to Jamie's body, and how it completely transformed his life from a happy, sociable, successful business owner to a virtual recluse, in constant pain and suffering from a never-ending need to use the toilet.

"By early 2023 he couldn't walk very far, or last more than a minute or two, without needing to urinate. He was in constant pain. When we visited the hospital for tests, he needed a wheelchair and carried a bottle under a coat or blanket.

"So, from starting to take ketamine in early 2021, it took three and a half years to cause his death. The critical factor here is the vicious cycle that is created.

"Normal pain relief solutions are not strong enough to dull the pain, the only thing that could was more ketamine. It is an anaesthetic. So, no matter how much Jamie tried to cut down or stay clean, the pain became too much.

"Ketamine can be a killer and that is what youngsters need to know."

Government figures estimate that external ketamine use in England and Wales has more than doubled since 2016, and has more than tripled in the under-25 age group in the same period.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has pledged to "work across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply."

She added: "It is vital we are responding to all the latest evidence and advice to ensure people's safety and we will carefully consider the ACMD's recommendations before making any decision."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP told the Daily Express the Labour government must get on top of the rise in ketamine use across the UK now.

Mr Philp said of our investigation: "This report is shocking. The previous Conservative Government set out a 10-year Drug Strategy to help us learn about how to bring down drug use and educate people about their damaging effects, so they make the right choices.

"So far, we have heard nothing from this Labour Government about how they intend to get drugs off our streets.

"The Government must ask the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to urgently speed up their review into the classification of ketamine.

"Labour's inadequate police funding settlement puts 1,800 police officers at risk which will make it harder for the police to crack down on ketamine use and arrest those who are profiting from selling this drug."