Ketamine, GHB and hallucinogens: use remains low

A number of other substances with hallucinogenic, anaesthetic, dissociative or depressant properties are used in Europe: these include LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), hallucinogenic mushrooms, ketamine and GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate).

The recreational use of ketamine and GHB (including its precursor GBL, gamma-butyrolactone) has been reported among subgroups of drug users in Europe for the last two decades. National estimates, where they exist, of the prevalence of GHB and ketamine use in adult and school populations remain low. In their 2015 survey, Norway reported last year prevalence of GHB use at 0.1 % for adults (16–64). In 2015, last year prevalence of ketamine, poppers and GHB use among young adults (15–34) was estimated at 0.6 % in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.

The overall prevalence levels of LSD and hallucinogenic mushroom use in Europe have been generally low and stable for a number of years. Among young adults (15–34), national surveys report last year prevalence estimates of less than 1 % for both substances, with the exception of the Netherlands (1.1 %) and the Czech Republic (2.2 %) for hallucinogenic mushrooms in 2015, and Finland with a prevalence of 1.3 % for LSD in 2014.