The drug ketamine should be upgraded from a Class C drug to Class B, government advisers are to recommend.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is set to make the recommendation after new evidence revealed the damage ketamine can have on the bladder.
Under the new classification, illegal possession of ketamine could lead to a five-year jail sentence.
Ketamine is an anaesthetic used for operations on humans and animals that has become a popular recreational drug.
Home Office figures released in the summer showed that in the past year about 120,000 people aged 16-59 in England and Wales took ketamine, which is best known by the street names K, Special K and Vitamin K.
'Bladders removed'Home Secretary Theresa May asked the Council to review the evidence on ketamine last year amid increased concern about its popularity and potential harm the drug can cause.
"Molly", 25, is waiting for a bladder-stretching operation after damaging it by taking ketamine.
"It sounds a bit strange to say you're looking forward to an operation - but I'm hoping it'll be the start of an end.
"I have to go the toilet three times an hour. It takes me ages, and it's absolute agony.
"The only thing that takes that away is ketamine. It's sort of like a vicious cycle.
"I'm actually peeing blood - sizeable blood clots.
"Ketamine being Class C is completely ridiculous.
"It has not taken that long for me to completely ruin my bladder."
It has gathered new evidence suggesting some people are taking large amounts of ketamine every day, risking severe damage to their bladders.
In the most serious cases users have had to undergo surgery to have their bladders removed.
An upgrade from Class C to Class B means those found in possession of the drug would face up to five years in prison, up from two, and those caught supplying it up to 14 years prison or an unlimited fine.
The average prison sentence served for possession of a Class B drug in 2012 was just over two months, while people convicted of supply served an average of 17 months.
Other Class B drugs include amphetamines and cannabis.
The Council is also expected to recommend that ministers consider tighter controls on the way the drug is stored by pharmacies and hospitals.
Molly, 25, is waiting for an operation to stretch her bladder after she damaged it through ketamine use.
"I'm actually peeing blood - like sizeable blood clots. Ketamine being Class C is completely ridiculous. It's not taken that long for me to completely ruin my bladder," she he told the BBC's Newsbeat.
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Ketamine users talk about the health problems they have experienced (first published July 2011)
First reports of ketamine being used as a recreational drug emerged soon after its release on to the market in 1965.
It gained popularity in the UK nightclub scene in the early 1990s as people bought it in the mistaken belief that it was ecstasy.
Ketamine is dose-specific, so the amount taken determines the level of effect.
It comes in various forms, most commonly as a powder, but also as a liquid and a tablet.
At low doses the user may feel euphoric, experience waves of energy, and possibly synaesthesia - sensations such as seeing sounds or hearing colours.
However, some evidence suggests that use of the drug has an effect on memory, which persists for longer than three days after use, and becomes worse for regular users of the drug.
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