Outrage as HMV sells poster featuring deadly addictive drug ketamine in stores

Grieving parents and addiction campaigners had called for the £7.99 product to be pulled from shelves after it was spotted on prominent display of a branch of the music and entertainment firm next to kids' toys and sweets

Retailer HMV has come under criticism for selling and prominently displaying a poster featuring the dangerous Class B drug ketamine.

The £7.99 print was spotted in their Brighton branch, next to toys such as plushies and sweets where it could be easily seen by children and young people. Ketamine is a class B drug which carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine for possession and up to 14 years for supply.

It causes dissociative effects and can be psychologically addictive and chronic misuse can lead to bladder damage. It has also been linked to a number of deaths in recent years - the most high profile being Friends star Matthew Perry last year. Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showed there were 37 deaths caused by ketamine in 2022 and this had increased by 49% to 55 last year - in comparison cocaine fatalities during this time increased 30%.

In April 2023 Rian Rogers, 26, was found dead in his shower with a fatal dose of the drug in his body. He was on the waiting list to have his bladder removed after it had shrunk to the size of a marble due to his addiction.

His mother Clare told The Mirror she was left "completely shocked" by the posters being on sale in HMV. She added: "It's making it look like ketamine is a fun thing and it's good, but we should be telling young people that the drug is dangerous not promoting it.

"I want HMV to pull that poster from sale. It's terrible from a big corporation like HMV to be selling a product like that. My son was told ketamine was safe, it couldn't kill you and it wasn't addictive and that is the misconception. It is dangerous, it can cause lifelong physical health problems and psychotic episodes and it can kill you."

Ketamine use in the UK has been on the rise with those under 25 most likely to take it. Paul Rompani, CEO of Addiction Family Support, said: "We have seen a significant increase in the number of parents contacting us affected by their children’s harmful use of ketamine.

"This reflects the reported increase in the prevalence of its use in recent years, particularly among young adults aged 16 to 24, and the increase in young people attending specialist treatment services with problems related to its use. Exposing children and young people to images, pictures and prints relating to Ketamine is irresponsible, risks normalising drug use and gives the impression they are harmless.”

The number of people seeking treatment for ketamine addiction at NHS drug and alcohol services doubled between 2019 and 2023 from 1,140 to 2,211. Private clinics are also reporting surges in people seeking rehabilitation for ketamine.

Data shared exclusively with The Mirror by Priory, the UK’s leading provider of addiction treatment services, showed the number of people seeking support for ketamine dependency this year is more than 523% higher than just five-years ago, making it the UK’s fastest-growing addiction.

Dr David McLaughlan, a consultant psychiatrist and addictions specialist at Priory and co-founder of Curb.health, said: "As an addiction psychiatrist who has seen the devastating effects of ketamine addiction first hand, this is reckless. Teenagers and young people decorate their rooms with posters, often featuring celebrities, brands and products which they admire and aspire to engage with.

“In my view, promotion of ketamine like this can only exacerbate the enormous rise in ketamine addiction which we are seeing, specifically among young people. Let’s not glorify this drug, or promote it next to children’s toys. Instead we should be educating young people about the dangers of ketamine use and supporting them with any underlying psychological or social difficulties which may have led to them using the drug in the first place.

Dr McLaughlan called on HMV to remove the posters from sale and asked them to consider donating any revenue to addiction charities that support families affected by drugs and alcohol.

After being contacted by The Mirror, HMV said they were taking the item off sale. A spokesperson said: "We're grateful to our customer for drawing attention to this artwork. We have removed it from sale in our Brighton store and will ensure it is withdrawn from any other stores it may appear in.

“This was a part of a wider collection of artworks which feature music and pop culture-inspired art. However, this particular item should not have made its way onto the shop floor as part of that set.

"We apologise for any offence and are taking swift action to address this issue, as well as putting place in stricter processes to review individual items within ranges that we buy in batch formats going forwards."