The study, based on 39,178 individuals arrested for first-time ketamine-related offenses from 2009-2016, indicates a 33.85 percent chance of being arrested for a second ketamine offense within three years, said Wei J. Chen, director of NHRI's Center for Neuropsychiatric Research.
The study also shows that the death rate for those arrested for first-time ketamine offenses within three years of the offense is 4.9 times higher than for contemporaries who do not take ketamine, according to Chen.
Most died from unnatural causes, Chen said.
For example, ketamine users were also much more likely to die from suicide (13.4 times higher), drug-overdoses (21.3 times higher) and violence (20.7 times higher) within three years of a first drug arrest than those in the same age group with no history of drug use, Chen said.
Although those arrested for first-time ketamine related offense were predominantly male, female users were found to suffer more psychologically from the use of the illicit drug than their male counterparts, Chen said, citing the study.
Females arrested for first-time ketamine offenses are 31.4 times more likely to die from suicide within a three-year period than those in their peer group who do not use ketamine, he added.
Explaining the possible reason for the higher suicide rate among both sexes, Chen said ketamine, an anesthetic and analgesic with hallucinogenic effects, could cause depression and therefore lead to unnatural deaths.
According to Chen, ketamine has emerged as one of the most commonly used illegal drugs in Taiwan among young people since 2000, and its recreational use is linked to rave and dance culture.
Currently, ketamine is classified as a category 3 narcotic according to Taiwan's Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, which means that those found in possession of less than 20 grams of the drug are fined and ordered to attend 4-8 hours of drug-use prevention lectures.
Citing the high recidivism rate for ketamine users seen in the study, Chen called on the government to amend current laws so they act as a greater deterrent to recreational use of the drug.
