Hong Kong researchers find ketamine use rose during Covid-19 restrictions, despite drop in consumption of other drugs
- HKU research shows closure of venues such as party rooms and games centres did not help cut drug abuse
- Study suggests findings reflected in numbers treated in emergency departments for drug overdoses
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) department of emergency medicine also warned that the use of hallucinogenic ketamine rose, despite a drop in the use of other drugs during coronavirus restrictions.
The research team suggested the findings were reflected in the number of illegal drug users seeking help at accident and emergency units for acute toxicity, which did not see an immediate decline after the pandemic hit the city in 2020.
“The drug market has been very resilient against public health policies,” Rex Lam Pui-kin, a clinical associate professor of practice in the department said.
“Even though the pandemic had caused impacts, the market still had its ways of providing drugs to users.”
Lam’s study showed that emergency ward case records for cases involving ketamine, methamphetamine – known as Ice – and cannabis had seen an initial increase in 2020, but those for cocaine had remained constant throughout the pandemic.
