Ketamine use in Belgium soars, wastewater analysis reveals

The presence of ketamine in Belgium’s wastewater has increased up to elevenfold compared to a decade ago, indicating a sharp rise in usage. The drug is no longer confined to major cities but is now widespread in rural areas as well, according to reports from De Standaard and Gazet van Antwerpen.

Researchers at the Toxicology Centre of the University of Antwerp analysed wastewater samples across 26 locations in northern Belgium between 2020 and 2023. The findings reveal that Belgians are consuming seven to eleven times more ketamine than in 2012. 

“It is a misconception that ketamine use is confined to major cities. The data shows it is widespread across Flanders and Brussels”, said researcher Natan Van Wichelen. The research also found that ketamine is used not only as a weekend party drug but also throughout the week.

”It is a misconception that ketamine use is confined to major cities”

Belgium top consumer

The surge in ketamine use - an increase of 700 to 1,100 per cent - makes Belgium the leading consumer of the drug in the EU. A 2023 European wastewater analysis showed the highest ketamine levels in Belgium, followed by the Netherlands, France, and Spain.

Belgian authorities are now grappling with the implications of this surge. Recent police raids uncovered evidence of local ketamine production, including a seizure of 27 kilograms of the drug in Brussels last week.

Vet medicine

Ketamine is commonly known as a veterinary anaesthetic. However, its recreational use has grown significantly over the past decade. The drug can cause intense hallucinations, dissociation, and, in high doses, dangerous health effects such as oxygen deprivation, unconsciousness, or even cardiac arrest, especially when combined with alcohol or other substances. 

In a medical setting, ketamine is being explored as a treatment for severe depression.

^{#FlandersNewsService | Ketamine in a forensic drug expertise center in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}