Children who ‘need colostomy bags’ due to drug use

Ketamine use in Merseyside has become “so bad that young children are suffering from colostomy bags”, a Merseyside drugs and alcohol officer has warned.

Kelly Smith, from the Change, Grow, Live (CGL) recovery service in Kirkby, said the use of the drug “is a huge problem and is becoming increasingly common”.

She said the service, which covers Knowsley, was aware of young people using ketamine who “didn’t understand what it is” and became dependent on it.

Speaking at the launch of an art project for addicts in recovery, she said: “It’s so bad that young children end up with colostomy bags and things like that because it causes serious bladder problems.”

Ms Smith added: “I don’t think young people are necessarily aware of the lifelong impact drug use can have on someone.”

Ketamine is a drug used by doctors and veterinarians for pain relief.

The latest government figures estimate that use of the drug in England and Wales has more than doubled since 2016.

In the under-25 age group, its use has more than tripled over the same period, the government said.

Chronic ketamine use attacks the lining of the bladder and can cause it to shrink.

Kelly Smith was speaking at the opening of the We Got HeART (WGH) exhibition in a unit on St Chad’s Parade in the city centre.

The art project, which aims to divert people from substance use and into support services, is being led by Merseyside Police and CGL Knowsley, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

One of the exhibiting artists is Amanda Murphy, who says she started using alcohol as a ‘crutch’ after a difficult period in her life.

She was referred to CGL after developing liver disease and is now recovering.

“I was nervous when I first went in, but they quickly surrounded me and showed me love, so to speak,” she said.

Inspector Alan McKeon, from Merseyside Police’s Prevention Hub, said the project “really shows the value of prevention and tackling the root causes of problems, not their symptoms”.