Ketamine to be banned?

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 10:17:27 GMT

5,000 signatures have been reached - even if they're all vetsurgeon members, there's still 7,500 of you missing - so get signing.

Wynne

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Bob Russell — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 14:05:47 GMT

It has not gone away but a ban is extremely unlikely in view of the WHO's recommendations.

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 19 Mar 2016 09:08:52 GMT

Very very worrying, especially as I do a lot of charity neutering, including feral cats.

H Mc My apologies. I saw that ketamine might still be banned, and 1* it - as that's my opinion of a possible ban. Please don't think I was 1*ing you, and thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Wynne

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Badger er — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 20:50:10 GMT

This issue seems to not have gone away
http://www.wsava.org/educational/ketamine-campaign

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 14:41:22 GMT

I think the evidence comes from humans who are taking it illegally over an extended period - but since they're criminals. as far as I'm concerned they don't count. Animal welfare is far more important.

Wynne

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 14:12:17 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31859184[/quote]"...ketamine - the class B drug that can lead to users needing to have their bladders removed". Fook me there's going to be a lot of bladderless fractious cats about on that basis. Where did that gem come from?

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Bob Russell — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 11:56:03 GMT

Russia and China were attempting to have it banned worldwide.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31859184

Thankfully sense has prevailed!

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 11:47:34 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

The total ban idea has been scrapped!

[/quote]Do you mean in Russia and China? It never was an idea in the UK

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:48:55 GMT

Thank goodness. It would be intolerable if animal welfare was compromised in order to protect criminals.

Wynne

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Bob Russell — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:46:20 GMT

The total ban idea has been scrapped!

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Sally Everitt — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:35:40 GMT

Just to update you that we

have just heard that the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 are to be updated to bring them in line with the provisions already in place in the UK under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. This means that from 1^st March 2016

Ketamine will be moved from Part 1 of Schedule 4 to Schedule 2 to the 2002 Regulations. All the requirements applicable to Schedule 2 drugs, including record keeping, safe custody, witnessed destruction, prescribing etc, will apply to the use of ketamine in research, industry, veterinary and healthcare sectors from the above date.
Tamazepam will be subject to all the requirements applicable to Schedule 3 drugs.

Full details of requirements relating to Controlled dugs can be found in the BSAVA Medicines Guide

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Bob Russell — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 14:20:05 GMT

Just checked and actually we could prescribe diamorphine if it was clinically justifiable (schedule 2). Interesting that cannabis is considered schedule 1 as having little or no medical benefit at a time when a number of states in the US are licensing and regulating the stuff!

Absolutely no justification for a total ban on ketamine. It is a really good, safe drug used responsibly!

Street ketamine is already illegal and 'banned' so I cannot see what the Chinese/Russians think can be achieved by reclassification to schedule 1.

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Robert FalconerTaylor — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:57:32 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

I have to say I have no idea (beyond the fact we don't really need it) why diamorphine is banned for use in veterinary practice. Drug used legally, appropriately and carefully monitored do not require banning.

[/quote]

Down to the collective decision of the 193 Member States of the United Nations I guess?

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Bob Russell — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:26:45 GMT

I was under the impression that ketamine was technically quite difficult to manufacture. Misuse was largely restricted to veterinary origin products (stolen, misappropriated etc).

Clearly recent news indicates that it can be manufactured illegally and one town in China seems to have made a living out of it!

Therefore there is no point in banning the legal trade in veterinary ketamine as it will make no difference to the problem. Regulate the manufacture, supply and use of the product by the legitimate by all means.

I understand from a senior theatre nurse client that there is a real shortage of ketamine for human use. It can be a key element to relief of suffering in end of life care.

PSS and VMD inspections should in theory confirm compliance!

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 10:44:35 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"] Why don't they have enough sense to tackle the root cause of the problem by eradicating the criminals [/quote]This policy didn't work when we used to hang and deport criminals. Ii doesn't work when trying to control feral cat populations. It doesn't work when trying to minimise the effectiveness of jihadists. It won't work for drug dealers because like rats and cockroaches others will just crawl out of the woodwork to replace them.

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Robert FalconerTaylor — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 10:39:28 GMT

Don't get me started. Bad for my blood pressure!

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 10:33:26 GMT

That's really bad news. Why is it always the law-abiding who have to suffer - all because we've become too politically correct to properly punish the evil ones.

Wynne

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Robert FalconerTaylor — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 10:28:18 GMT

My understanding is that the UNODC have overall world power to schedule 1 K and this is why the WSAVA are so concerned. It is a problem that has been postponed, it has not gone away.

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 09:14:16 GMT

If we follow China and Russia and have it re-scheduled as Sch 1 then we won't be able to use it at all!

Wynne

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Thomas Johnson — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 09:07:49 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

Why don't they have enough sense to tackle the root cause of the problem by eradicating the criminals who use it illegally, instead of making life difficult for law-abiding veterinary surgeons?

[/quote]

How is it going to make our life more difficult? The only change we're going to have to make is that we'll have to order it with a written prescription alongside drugs like Vetergesic and Epiphen. We already keep it in the dangerous drug cupboard and keep a full record of its use as recommended by RCVS and VDS.

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Robert FalconerTaylor — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 07:54:27 GMT

I wrote about this in my blog last month here for more detail http://tinyurl.com/q82fzpw

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Julia Gankina — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 19:51:41 GMT

It is complex problem in Russia. Some years ago most of vet. doctors used unlegal ketamine and it was very easy to bought it. But then one doctor was jailed for distributing ketamine (he bought vet. ketamine in Europe and saled it in our coutry). It was demonstrative case. Now it not so easy to buy unlegal ketamine for veterinary use.
Another question- why vet. clinics does not get licence. It's not easy, but it's possible.

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 14:30:42 GMT

Why don't they have enough sense to tackle the root cause of the problem by eradicating the criminals who use it illegally, instead of making life difficult for law-abiding veterinary surgeons?

Wynne

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

bob lehner — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 12:02:31 GMT

[quote user="Julia Gankina"]use nonlegal ketamine[/quote]

i caught the tail-end of a feature about ketamine abuse in China on Radio 4 the other morning.

Seems it is a huge problem as a recreational drug in some cities and from what they were saying becomes very addictive. There are many illicit factories churning out tons of the stuff, so the street price has fallen. It is said to be the no.2 illegal drug in China (presumably after cocaine?).

That's why the Chinese Govt want it re-scheduled as a Sch 1 CD.

RE: Ketamine to be banned?

Julia Gankina — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 10:32:09 GMT

If is it intersting, in Russia ketamin is a schedule 2 drug. Our clinic have a licence and we use it (and other narcotic drugs) for GA. But most of russian vet. clinic don't have this licence and use nonlegal ketamine or don't use it at all.

Sorry for my English