Dear Mr Allen,

Thank you for the Regulation 28 report of 19th August 2025 sent to the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) about the death of Gemma May Weeks. I am replying as the Minister with responsibility for Public Health and Prevention.

Firstly, I wish to say how saddened I was to read of the circumstances of Gemma’s death, and I offer my sincere condolences to her family and loved ones. The circumstances your report describes are concerning and I am grateful to you for bringing these matters to my attention.

I know that you sent your report to the Home Secretary and Department for Education (DfE) too. Home Office Ministers will be replying in relation to your concern about the classification of ketamine under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. My response will focus on concerns your report raised over the dangers and harms of ketamine use and that these dangers are little understood by both the firsttime users and younger age groups.

I want to assure you DHSC is taking seriously the risk that ketamine, its increased prevalence, and its associated harms has on our young people. We are working closely with partners across Government to respond to existing and new drug threats, including from ketamine, and to reduce and prevent the health harms they cause. We know that drug treatment is protective and the number of places in treatment for people who use drugs other than opiates is being increased by 30,000. We are committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidence-based, high-quality treatment.

The Department is working to increase awareness of the risks and associated health harms of sustained ketamine use. We are planning a national campaign to raise awareness on new patterns of drug use and their associated risk, with particular focus on sustained ketamine use and the damage it can cause to the bladder. The campaign, planned to launch in coming months, will utilise mass and social media, including a short film and social media influencers discussing the topic. The campaign will also disseminate information for a variety of stakeholders who come into contact with people at risk, such as teachers and local public health teams. This campaign complements the Government’s existing drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK. This service aims to reduce drug misuse and its harms by increasing awareness, particularly for young people and parents. Talk to FRANK offers easy to read information on the risks of using ketamine, including bladder problems, and the risks of mixing it with other substances, as well as basic harm reduction advice.

In addition to this, the Department recently cascaded a briefing to local authorities and treatment systems which included data on ketamine use and guidance on prevention, harm reduction, and treatment interventions. The briefing also included advice on how to develop system-wide healthcare responses, focusing on pathways to and from mental health and urology services to respond to ketamine related bladder damage.

Furthermore, DHSC and Home Office ministers wrote to festival organisers this summer, asking them to work closely with police and health partners on their harm reduction and first aid measures, which included highlighting the dangers of ketamine. The Department also worked with the National Police Chiefs’ Council on a joint letter and advice for the police and local authorities about festivals, drugs, and alcohol, to minimise the risk of harm to individuals at these events.

Alongside ensuring increased awareness of the harms of ketamine, local authorities are responsible for providing drug treatment services, including services to support ketamine users, based on the needs of their local populations. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26 the Department is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to improve drug and alcohol services and wider recovery support, including housing and employment. Furthermore, for the first time, local authorities have been set targets to support people using drugs other than heroin and crack cocaine, and they are now helping more people than ever who are struggling with ketamine use.

Amongst those children and young people under the age of 18 years old who are seeking drug treatment, the proportion who are citing ketamine use has increased from under 1% in 2015/16 to 9% in November 2024. As a result, and in response to increased prevalence, the treatment system is responding to the harms being caused by ketamine use.

Alongside the work DHSC is conducting, widespread action is already in progress through local and regional initiatives. Local authorities, Combating Drugs Partnerships, and treatment providers lead on prevention, harm reduction, and treatment interventions, which includes awareness raising. Many of the national treatment providers, as well as local areas, have developed bespoke awarenessraising resources and approaches in response to ketamine, and a number have held events for professionals working in the field.

Finally, further guidance on ketamine from drug treatment providers and others is also available. The British Association of Urological Surgeons has provided guidance in the form of consensus statements on the management of ketamine uropathy. This is available at: British Association of Urological Surgeons Consensus statements on the management of ketamine uropathy.

I hope this response is helpful. Thank you for bringing these concerns to my attention.

Department for Education The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP Secretary of State for Education Brendan Joseph Allen Area Coroner for the Coroner Area of Dorset / 7 October 2025 fl v i(J LL / Investigation and Inquest into the death of Gemma Weeks Response to Regulation 28 Report I am sending this letter in response to the Regulation 28 Report to prevent Future Deaths, and accompanying reasons detailed in the report dated jgth August 2025. I know that you sent your report to the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care too. Ministers in the Home Office will be replying to your concerns about the classification of ketamine under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and Ministers at the Department for Health and Social Care will be addressing harm reduction and prevention. I want to offer my sincere condolences to Gemma’s family and friends on their tragic loss. The death of Gemma has reaffirmed my department’s continued commitment to protect young people from the wide-ranging harms associated with drug use. We welcome the views of the Coroner and the opportunity it presents to reflect upon those areas identified as continued concerns, to prevent others from losing their lives under similar circumstances. The matters of concern identified in the report, which relate to education, were that:
• people, including young people, do not understand the dangers and risks associated with ketamine use as it is a class B drug, considered less harmful than class A drugs.
• The health consequences of ketamine use are not well understood by many teachers and others not working in drug treatment and healthcare. Schools have an important role in educating puphs about the dangers of harmful substances and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) has been statutory in schools since September 2020. My department recently published updated RSHE statutory guidance which includes curriculum content on drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping. Statutory health education sets out the content on drugs that should be taught. Pupils in primary school should know the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including smoking, vaping, alcohol use and drug- taking. Sanctuary Buildings 20 Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT tel: 0370 000 2288 www.education.gov.uk)contactus/dfe

By the end of secondary school, pupils should know the facts about which drugs are illegal and the risks of taking illegal drugs, including the increased risk of potent synthetic drugs being added to illegal drugs. They should understand the risks of illicit vapes containing drugs, illicit drugs and counterfeit medicines, and the potential health harms, including the link to poor mental health. They also learn about the law relating to the supply and possession of illegal substances. As well as learning about illegal drugs, the curriculum contains content an the dangers of misuse of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines and the risks of illegal activity online, the sale or purchasing of illicit drugs online. The statutory guidance provides high-level content to guide schools’ teaching, but schools have the freedom and flexibility to ensure the curriculum meets the needs of their pupils. This flexibility allows schools to respond to local public health and wider community issues, and tailor the content to meet pupils’ needs so they can respond to issues as they arise, including the dangers of taking ketamine. In addition to the specific content on drug education, the revised RSHE statutory guidance contains new content on personal safety. This includes how to develop key social and emotional skills that will increase pupils’ safety. These include skills to support self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making, as well as skills to recognise and manage peer pressure. The department worked with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the PSHE Association to make sure good quality teaching resources are available for teachers delivering drug, alcohol and tobacco education. The lesson plans target primary and secondary students, teaching them how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. And separately, we know many local areas will develop their own resources, including teaching about the dangers of ketamine. Furthermore, the Oak National Academy, the independent provider of freely available online curriculum and lesson resources, have RSHE resources on their website addressing addiction and are developing new resources to support schools with the delivery of the updated RSHE curriculum. These should be available from autumn 2025. The drug-related content in RSHE supplements drug education as a statutory subject in the national curriculum for science. At Key Stage 2 pupils are taught to recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way their bodies function. In the secondary science curriculum, drug education is covered in Key Stage 3 biology. The curriculum states pupils should be taught about the effects of recreational drugs (including substance misuse) on behaviour, health and life processes. More broadly, the Government continues to work to educate young people on the harms and risks around drug taking via the FRANK website, referenced in the RSHE statutory guidance, which provides drug information and advice to young people, parents and practitioners. This site keeps content up to date with emerging evidence and trends, including on Ketamine. Ketamine I Effects of Ketamine I FRANK.

To help support the sector following the publication of the revised RSHE guidance, we are piloting a teacher training grant, starting early 2026. We want to build a workforce that is equipped and empowered to take on the challenges facing young people today. Thank you for writing to me. I hope that this response is useful. Kind regards, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women & Equalities

Dear Coroner Allen,

Thank you for your Regulation 28 (Prevention of Future Deaths) report of 19 August 2025, which you sent to the Home Secretary, about the death of Ms Gemma Weeks, which was linked to her use of ketamine. You suggest that further action should be taken to prevent future deaths from ketamine. I am replying as the Minister of State for Policing and Crime.

I was very sorry to read of the death of Ms Weeks and I send my deepest sympathy to her family and friends. I have met with families who tragically lost loved ones to ketamine, and I recognised much of what you recorded about the circumstances of Ms Weeks’ death in what I heard from them.

I know that you sent your report to the Secretaries of State for Education and Health and Social Care too. Ministers in those departments will be replying to your concerns about a lack of understanding of the dangers of ketamine, including among young people. I will therefore focus on your concern that ketamine’s classification as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (‘MDA’) may give the impression that the dangers associated with its use are lower than those of Class A drugs.

As a Class B drug, the maximum penalty for supply and production for ketamine is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both, and the maximum penalty for possession is up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. These penalties are intended to reduce both the supply of, and the demand for, ketamine, and they contribute, along with other measures, to reducing the harms which result from its use. In 2024 there were 2,014 prosecutions and 1,507 convictions for offences relating to the possession and trafficking of ketamine, representing increases of 56% and 43% respectively on the figures for 2023.

Ketamine was moved from Class C to Class B of the MDA in 2014, in accordance with advice provided by the statutory Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). The ACMD’s recommendation was based on evidence of ketamine’s potential for harm at that time. The ACMD stated that “although there is limited evidence of ketamine misuse causing social harm, evidence of physical harm (mainly chronic bladder toxicity but also an increase in acute toxicity) has increased”.

This report is available at the following link:

_ketamine_report_dec13.pdf.

Ministers have become concerned that the misuse of ketamine, particularly among young people, has grown since that report was published. Ketamine use in young people aged 16-24 years in England and Wales has increased by 231% since the year ending March 2013. In 2023/24, there were 3,609 new presentations to adult treatment services citing ketamine as a misused substance - the highest number since published records began in 2005/06. I share your concern that users may be underestimating the harms of ketamine, including its degree of addictiveness and the possibility of irreversible bladder damage.

Therefore, in January 2025 my predecessor as the Minister responsible for drugs wrote to the ACMD to ask them to provide an updated harms assessment of ketamine, and advice on reducing harms, in response to emerging evidence. She asked them in particular to advise on whether it should be moved to Class A. Her letter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated- harms-assessment-of-ketamine-commissioning-letter/updated-harms-assessment- of-ketamine-commissioning-letter

The ACMD has been working on that assessment, including conducting a public call for evidence in August. I expect to receive the report by the end of 2025, and I will give full consideration to all its recommendations before making any decisions relating to the classification of ketamine under the MDA.

While the ACMD report will be very important, the Government is, as I have noted, very concerned about the increasing harms of ketamine and is already taking a range of measures to tackle them. As the Department of Health and Social Care sets out in its response, we will shortly be launching a national media campaign on emerging drug threats, one of whose key areas of focus will be the harms caused by ketamine. The campaign will use a range of media to ensure that the messages reach as many people as possible. This sits alongside a range of existing measures, including our work with festival organisers to ensure that the risks to those attending festivals are minimised, improving the drug treatment response, and awareness raising initiatives led by local authority public health teams.

Thank you once again for your letter.

Very best wishes,

Minister of State for Policing and Crime