Estimated ketamine consumption at 16 consistently monitored wastewater sites in England was 194% higher in early 2026 than in the comparable period in 2021, according to new Home Office research published on 14 October 2026.
However, the latest findings also show an 11% decline between early 2025 and early 2026, following several years of growth.
What the research found
The Home Office's Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme analyses chemical traces in sewage to estimate the quantity of selected drugs consumed. Its long-term comparison uses the same 16 English monitoring sites, representing approximately 22% of England's population.
- Ketamine: estimated consumption rose 194% between 2021 and 2026, but fell 11% between 2025 and 2026.
- MDMA: up 248% over five years and 5% in the latest year.
- Cocaine: up 17% over five years, but down 7% in the latest year.
- Methamphetamine: up 74% over five years and 8% in the latest year.
- Amphetamine: down 55% over five years and 39% in the latest year.
- Heroin: down an estimated 49% over five years and 14% in the latest year, although researchers emphasise that heroin estimates are particularly uncertain.
What the figures do and do not show
The percentage changes relate to estimated quantities of drugs consumed, not the number of people using them. They are calculated from samples collected during comparable January-to-April periods at the 16 sites. They should not be described as a nationwide 194% rise in ketamine use.
The Home Office says cocaine remained the most consumed of the six drugs examined at the monitored sites. Its research also identifies geographical differences across the wider sampling programme, with comparatively high ketamine estimates in the North West at sampled locations.
Implications for drug policy
Wastewater analysis provides an additional evidence source alongside surveys, seizures and other drug-related data. It can help identify changing patterns of consumption, but does not by itself establish why those changes occurred or whether a particular government intervention caused them.
The findings present a mixed picture: ketamine consumption remains markedly above the 2021 baseline at the monitored sites, despite its latest annual decline. Ministers and public health agencies can use such evidence when assessing prevention, treatment and enforcement priorities.