Maria Hunter
I am an MA Applied Criminology student at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).
During and since completing my BSc Criminology and Sociology with Quantitative Methods with a First Class Honours in 2024, I have worked as a research assistant within the Drugs, Policy and Social Change (DPSC) Research Group within MMU. I have been an Associate Lecturer from September 2024 within the department teaching all things drugs, quantitative methods, and theory.
Session
Since 2014, EMCDDA and GM Trends data have identified an increase in the frequency of use of both cocaine and ketamine. There seems to be a cultural shift towards the polydrug use of these two substances. Further research is required to investigate the prevalence, meaning, and motivation for the consumption of these substances in tandem to inform harm reduction messages.
The GM Trends Report 2023-2024 explores new and emerging drug trends in Greater Manchester. The report outlined that the average purity of both ketamine and cocaine has increased from the previous year. This indicates more research needs to be done to understand the purity levels and adulterants of these substances as well as the reasons for the change in patterns of behaviour.
This paper presents MANDRAKE drug testing data from 2019-2024. MANDRAKE is a Home Office License testing facility at Manchester Metropolitan University. This data will be presented alongside emerging findings from qualitative research on people who use cocaine and ketamine together. These findings will be used to inform key harm reduction messages and demonstrate how regionally collected data can be deployed internationally.