Bereaved parents whose children died after taking ketamine have condemned online sellers for offering T-shirts they say trivialise and glamourise the deadly drug.
The mothers, who began campaigning after connecting through a WhatsApp group created by Our News Outlet last year, said they first spotted the merchandise on discount shopping platforms Temu and Shein.
Among the designs was a cartoon horse in sunglasses and a backwards baseball cap, printed above the slogan: ‘GOT ANY KETAMINE? ‘CAUSE MY HORSE IS SO SICK!’ — a joke referencing the drug’s history as a veterinary anaesthetic.
Those items were taken down following complaints last week, but the families say near-identical products are still being sold through Amazon, Etsy and eBay.
One seller, Threadheads, is advertising a £25 T-shirt showing a crayon-style drawing of a horse under the word ‘ketamine’ in bright, childlike lettering.
The listing’s caption states: ‘THIS SHIRT IS CURRENTLY IN A K-HOLE,’ a reference to the dissociative state caused by taking a high dose, which can involve temporary paralysis and intense hallucinations. The product has received more than 6,000 five-star reviews.
On Etsy, another listing features a unicorn beneath a rainbow beside the word ‘Ketamine’ in retro-style script. A similar version is being sold on Amazon UK as a ‘Ketamine Horse Funny Meme Graphic Gift Idea’.
A further Etsy T-shirt uses imagery resembling clinical drug packaging, with illustrated vials and blister packs labelled ‘Ketamine Hydrochloride’ set below lightning bolts.
Jennifer Kitchen, who lost her son Louis to ketamine addiction in 2023, said the T-shirts ‘glorify’ the use of the drug
She has launched a petition calling for ketamine to be reclassified as a Class A drug
Grieving parents have branded the designs ‘insensitive’ and suggested they dangerously make the drugs ‘look fun’
One more – aimed squarely at young buyers – shows two cartoon children beneath a love heart with the pun ‘WHAT’S KETA-MINE IS KETA-YOURS’.
Ketamine, a Class B drug sometimes known as ‘Special K’, is now linked to at least one death a week in the UK. Use among 16 to 24-year-olds has more than doubled since 2021.
Jennifer Kitchen, 63, from Deal, Kent, lost her son Louis – a creative young man who ran his own clothing design business and was training as a plumbing and heating engineer – in November 2023.
He became addicted after taking ketamine at festivals, telling his mother he had only used it three times before the drug took hold.
By October 2023 his bladder had shrunk so severely that doctors were shocked he was still functioning, with damage spreading throughout his organs.
Despite attempts to quit, including a trip to rehab, the 23-year-old relapsed and his mother found him dead in bed weeks later.
Ms Kitchen, who has launched a petition calling for ketamine to be reclassified as a Class A drug, said of the T-shirts: ‘They’re glorifying it, turning it into a horse.
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‘This is used in dentists and hospitals, and they’re making it look fun. Small children like that kind of look. This stuff can kill you, it normalises it.’
Vicky Unwin, 66, from north-west London, lost her daughter Louise Cattell in 2011 when she was 21
Ms Unwin said: ‘Nobody would glorify heroin in this way. This is a drug rampaging through society, destroying lives, families and communities’
Jennifer reported the T-shirts to Amazon, pointing out that they ‘directly violate [the company’s] policy regarding the promotion of illegal or harmful activities’.
The reply she received offered little reassurance. ‘I’ll do everything I can to get this resolved,’ a customer service agent identified only as ‘C’ wrote. Weeks on, the listings remain active.
Fellow campaigner Sharon Stanley reported the horse T-shirt to eBay but was told it did not breach site policies.
Threadheads offered condolences and said the issue had been escalated to senior management, but the shirts were still available at the time of writing.
Shein said the products had been removed immediately and an internal investigation launched.
Vicky Unwin, 66, from north-west London, lost her daughter Louise Cattell in 2011 when she was 21.
Ms Cattell took ketamine with a friend in Clapton, east London, after six weeks travelling in Australia. Unaware her tolerance had fallen, she took the same dose, fell asleep in a bath and drowned.
She had just submitted her portfolio to study graphic design at Chelsea School of Art.
A listing on Etsy shows a unicorn beneath a rainbow next to the word ‘Ketamine’ in retro script. A similar design is available on Amazon UK under the description ‘Ketamine Horse Funny Meme Graphic Gift Idea’
Now, 15 years on, Ms Unwin, who campaigns with the drug policy charity Transform, says nothing has changed. ‘It’s the same ignorance and misinformation which killed my beautiful daughter.’
‘It’s so insensitive. Why would anyone think wearing a T-shirt like this is a good idea?’ she added.
‘Nobody would glorify heroin in this way. This is a drug rampaging through society, destroying lives, families and communities. Anything that normalises its use is simply awful.’
A Daily Mail investigation last month found some retailers were aware of the merchandise’s content, while others said listings had slipped through moderation systems.
‘It’s everywhere,’ one mother said. ‘You report it, they say sorry, and three weeks later it’s back up under a different seller name. Nobody is taking real responsibility.’
Our News Outlet has approached Amazon UK, eBay, Etsy and Threadheads for comment.
