Ketamine use in Ireland: What the latest data reveals, and why it matters for drug testing

The HSE has stated that ketamine use in Ireland is “experiencing its largest and most sustained increase on record”, shifting from a niche club drug to one now used widely across nightlife and festival settings.  

New wastewater analysis from the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) shows that ketamine detections at Dublin’s Ringsend treatment plant rose by 42% between 2024 and 2025, one of the sharpest increases recorded among the 115 European cities monitored.

The picture from treatment services supports this finding.

According to the Health Research Board’s Drug Treatment Demand in Ireland 2025 report, the number of people treated for ketamine use has increased twelve-fold since 2017, rising from 27 cases to 334 in 2025, with the number of cases where ketamine was the main problem drug more than doubling in a single year.

Here, we look at what the latest data reveals, why ketamine use carries more risk than many people realise, and why accurate testing matters, whether for personal reassurance, family law cases, or workplace safety.

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic, meaning it produces sensations of detachment, numbness, and distorted perception. It was developed in the 1960s and is still used in medicine today for pain relief and anaesthesia, and in veterinary settings to sedate animals.

Outside of its clinical uses, ketamine is often misused recreationally for its dissociative and euphoric effects.

It’s typically sold as a white or off-white powder, though it can also be found in liquid or tablet form, and is usually snorted, injected, swallowed (dissolved in a drink) or smoked with cannabis or tobacco.

In Ireland, ketamine is a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, with restrictions on its possession, production, import, export and supply.

Learn more: Ketamine facts

Why ketamine is more dangerous than people think

Ketamine has long been perceived as a lower-risk ‘party drug’, used occasionally on nights out. However, the latest wastewater data suggests this may no longer be how the drug is being used.

Unlike cocaine and MDMA, both of which show clear spikes at weekends in most of the European cities monitored by the EUDA (consistent with occasional, recreational use), ketamine tells a different story. Only around half of cities recorded a weekend increase in ketamine residues, suggesting more consistent use throughout the week.  

According to the EUDA, this pattern indicates more regular, and potentially more problematic, use. This matters because:

• Regular use significantly increases the risk of dependency and long-term health harm
• It suggests ketamine is being incorporated into people’s everyday routines, rather than reserved for occasional social settings
• It may point to underlying patterns of self-medication or habitual coping, rather than purely recreational use

This shift is reflected in treatment data, too, reinforcing the twelve-fold rise in ketamine treatment cases mentioned above (Health Research Board’s Drug Treatment Demand in Ireland 2025 report).

Particularly concerning is the disproportionately high rate of use among younger people. The HRB’s European Web Survey on Drugs found that ketamine use rises to 35% among young Irish drug users (aged 18-24), compared with an overall 25% among Irish drug users, and just 14% across Europe.

Addiction services and health professionals are increasingly concerned about ketamine’s growing appeal to a younger demographic, some of whom may not fully appreciate the risks involved.

Taken together, the wastewater and treatment data suggest that ketamine’s reputation as a relatively low-risk, occasional-use drug may be increasingly out of step with reality.

Side effects and health risks

While ketamine’s dissociative effects may feel manageable or even pleasant to some users in the short term, the drug poses serious risks, some of which can cause irreversible damage.

Short-term effects

These can include:

• Dissociation and a sense of detachment from reality, often described as feeling ‘outside’ the body
• Confusion, disorientation, and impaired judgement
• Loss of coordination and motor control
• Numbness, which can mask pain or injury
• Nausea and vomiting
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure

Because ketamine significantly impairs coordination and awareness, users are also at an increased risk of accidents and injury, as they may be unaware of physical danger and/or unable to react appropriately.

Long-term effects

With repeated or regular use, ketamine can cause more serious, lasting harm, including:

• Ketamine bladder syndrome (uropathy) – one of the most severe and well-documented long-term effects of ketamine misuse. Regular use can cause inflammation and scarring of the bladder wall, leading to chronic pain, a frequent and urgent need to urinate and, in severe cases, permanent bladder damage requiring surgical intervention. Irish urologists have reported a rise in ketamine-related bladder damage, with one Dublin-based consultant noting that inpatient admissions for chronic ketamine use have tripled in recent years.
• Cognitive effects – including problems with memory, concentration, and decision-making, particularly with sustained use.
• Dependency – both psychological and, to a lesser extent, physical dependency can develop with regular use, making it harder to stop without support.

Learn more: How long does ketamine stay in your system?

Why this matters for drug testing

As ketamine use becomes more common, fast, accurate and accredited drug testing has an increasingly important role to play across a range of settings.

Peace of mind for individuals and families

For parents, partners, or family members concerned about a loved one’s drug use – particularly given the rising rates of use among younger people – an at-home drug test can offer reassurance or much needed clarity.

AlphaBiolabs offers a range of peace of mind, home drug test kits, including urine, hair and nail tests, allowing you to test for ketamine and numerous other commonly abused substances, such as cannabis and cocaine, discreetly and from the comfort of home.

Shop home drug test kits and order online

Please note, the results of our home drug tests cannot be used for court or other legal purposes. If you need a drug test for a private legal or official matter, you’ll need to request a quote for a legal drug test.

Family law cases  

In family law and safeguarding cases, evidence of ketamine use can be an important factor in assessing parenting capacity, child welfare, and access arrangements, particularly given its links to cognitive impairment and dependency.

AlphaBiolabs offers accredited, court-admissible drug testing, supporting family law professionals and social workers in making informed, evidence-based decisions in the best interest of children and families.

We test for the widest range of substances, including ketamine, using hair, nail, oral fluid and urine samples, at our purpose-built, ISO 17025-accredited laboratory.

Learn more: Legal drug testing services

Workplace testing

Given the rise in ketamine use identified in the latest data, particularly among younger people, employers should check that their current testing programme screens specifically for ketamine or speak to their testing provider about adding it to the testing panel, where relevant.

AlphaBiolabs offers a wide range of drug testing services for employers and businesses implementing workplace testing, including random, for cause, part of pre-employment and post-rehab/return-to-work testing.

We can also support employers with substance misuse policy creation and review.

Learn more: Workplace drug testing services

For more information about ketamine drug testing, or expert advice on which drug test is right for you, contact our friendly, knowledgeable team on 01 402 9466 or email info@alphabiolabs.ie.