Drug trends

Recreational use of ketamine is relatively low in New Zealand. The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs recognises it has a "small but definite" market.

Research from 2007/08 Alcohol and Drug Use Survey showed that:

• about 1 percent of adults aged 16 to 64 years had used ketamine for recreational purposes at some point in their life. 
• men were significantly more likely than women to use ketamine
• 0.3 percent of adults aged 16 to 64 had used ketamine in the past year. This was similar for both men and women.
• the highest rates of use was amongst 18- to 24-year-olds.

A recent Illicit Drugs Monitoring System (IDMS) study found that in 2009, regular drug users were increasingly likely to have tried ketamine in the past year.

Ketamine has also been pressed into ecstasy pills, or mixed with other stimulants and sold as ecstasy.