Norfolk Drug and Alcohol Partnership (NDAP) Ketamine Awareness Campaign
The Norfolk Drug and Alcohol Partnership (NDAP) and Norfolk Public Health (PH) are pleased to share with you a Norfolk-wide ketamine awareness raising campaign.
NDAP/PH and key stakeholders worked with students at the Media Learning Company at City College Norwich on the campaign, which aims to equip key audiences with sufficient knowledge and awareness to enable them to have an increased understanding and awareness of the associated harms of ketamine use. From our initial research, we discovered that:
- Approximately 5,800 Norfolk residents may use ketamine at least once in a year (Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales)
- 5% of adults in drug and alcohol treatment in Norfolk in 2025 cited ketamine as one of their problem substances - higher than the England average of 2% of the treatment population (Source: NDTMS)
- Since 2024, ketamine is the most cited known drug (50% are unknown substance) from ambulance call out data (Source: EEAST)
- Young people aged under 19 felt there should be more information available about the dangers of ketamine, and of drugs being contaminated (Source: UNITY/ YouCan)
There are four key audiences for the ketamine awareness campaign:
As the Partnership Manager of NDAP, I encourage you to:
- Watch the films - think about where they could be used in your organisation to raise awareness of the harms caused by ketamine and synthetic opioids
- Share the films and assets with your networks
- Promote the dedicated Ketamine Hub on the Norfolk Community Safety Partnership exploitation website Know The Signs
- Use the attached stakeholder pack (PDF, 327 KB) to support the campaign
Your action can make a real difference in ensuring that we continue to improve our collective response to ketamine use.
The themes covered in this campaign link directly to statutory RSHE, including teaching about drugs, addiction, risk, and protective behaviours.
To support schools with this essential content, Pol‑Ed provides free, curriculum‑aligned resources for all Norfolk education settings. These include Themed Lesson Groupings, designed to help teachers deliver high‑quality learning in response to emerging issues.
Available themed lesson sets include:
- Drugs (Primary and Secondary)
- Exploitation & Grooming (Primary and Secondary)
- Addiction & Vaping (Primary and Secondary)
These lessons can be used for whole‑class teaching, small‑group work, or 1:1 intervention, helping schools strengthen pupils' understanding of substance misuse and keep them safe.
In terms of sources of support for ketamine use, drug and alcohol commissioned services can offer support:
- The Matthew Project for supporting under 19s. Their web page of services for young people has information in relation to ketamine. Their service Unity offers support to under 19s who are using drugs or alcohol. The You Can Service supports under 19s who are affected by a family member's drug or alcohol use.
- To discuss any concerns a professional or family member may have, and to see what support is suitable, visit Professionals | Young People
- For people 19 years and over, Change, Live, Grow (CGL) can offer support. CGL also offer an affected others service for family members affected by someone's substance use.
