Parents who have lost children to ketamine addiction are expressing outrage over T-shirts being sold on major online marketplaces that they claim glamourise the potent drug. Grieving mothers, who connected through a support group, have called for platforms including Amazon, eBay, and Etsy to remove the merchandise, arguing it trivializes the dangers of ketamine.

The products, which have appeared on sites like Temu and Shein before being removed, feature designs that play on ketamine's origins as a veterinary anaesthetic and its recreational use. One T-shirt cited by campaigners displays a cartoon horse with sunglasses and a baseball cap, accompanied by the slogan ‘GOT ANY KETAMINE? ‘CAUSE MY HORSE IS SO SICK!’.

Another T-shirt sold by Threadheads for £25 includes a crayon-style horse image with the caption ‘THIS SHIRT IS CURRENTLY IN A K-HOLE,’ referencing the dissociative state induced by high doses of ketamine, which can cause paralysis and hallucinations. This item reportedly has over 6,000 five-star reviews.

Similar designs are available on Etsy and Amazon UK, with one listing described as a ‘Ketamine Horse Funny Meme Graphic Gift Idea.’ Other T-shirts mimic clinical packaging, featuring illustrated vials and blister packs labelled ‘Ketamine Hydrochloride,’ while another uses the pun ‘WHAT'S KETA-MINE IS KETA-YOURS’ with cartoon children.

Jennifer Kitchen, whose 23-year-old son Louis died from ketamine addiction in November 2023, stated that the T-shirts ‘glorify’ the drug. Louis became addicted after using ketamine at festivals, and by October 2023, his bladder had severely shrunk, with damage spreading to his organs. His mother has launched a petition to reclassify ketamine as a Class A drug, arguing that the merchandise, particularly designs appealing to children, normalizes a substance that can be fatal.

Vicky Unwin, whose 21-year-old daughter Louise Cattell died in 2011 after drowning in a bathtub following ketamine use, expressed similar concerns. Unwin stated that while heroin would not be glorified in such a manner, ketamine is