BPOM Head States Ketamine Misuse Has Surged Dramatically from 2022 to 2024

Jakarta, VIVA – The Head of the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM), Taruna Ikrar, stated that the trend of ketamine misuse has experienced a very drastic increase throughout 2022-2024.

This was revealed by Taruna during a working meeting at Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Monday, 20 April 2026.

“We want to explain the strategy for strengthening the supervision of certain pharmaceutical preparations that are often misused, as in our earlier report. Specifically for Ketamine, we see that in 2022, 2023, and 2024, there has been a very significant increase,” said Taruna.

“From 134,000 in 2022 for distribution to pharmacies and health facilities, it increased to 235,000 in the following year and to 440,000 in 2024,” he continued.

Taruna explained that the supervision and enforcement of ketamine misuse is under BPOM’s purview. He stated that BPOM has issued BPOM Regulation Number 12 on certain drugs, which includes Ketamine.

“Based on that, we issued a regulation in 2025 related to adding Ketamine to the list of certain drugs. Why? Because the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) cannot take action. But BPOM can take action, because Ketamine is not part of narcotics,” he explained.

Furthermore, Taruna mentioned that his agency is preparing several strategies to prevent ketamine misuse. One of them is launching a youth movement against the misuse of certain drugs.

“We will also carry out participation in the youth movement against the misuse of certain drugs, and the launch of an information system for the anti-misuse of drugs and food movement,” he said.

“Insyaallah, we will carry out a national action on prevention of misuse, and we request support in this context,” Taruna concluded.