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After drinking some GHB at a party in the desert, a teenage boy began frothing blood, collapsed, and subsequently died. 1
A former disc jockey slipped GHB into young women's drinks, then raped and took pornographic photographs of them.2
A high school student drank only two sodas while dancing at a local club but came home complaining of a severe headache and nausea and died later that night from cardiac arrest.3
What drug caused these tragedies? A hypnotic, anesthetic agent, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has drawn considerable media attention for its recent rise in illicit use. Since 1990, party and nightclub attendees have abused GHB for its euphoric and sedative effects, while bodybuilders have misused it as an unproven anabolic steroid.4 Additionally, police officers have linked GHB and such similar drugs as Rohypnol with sexual assault cases throughout the country.5 In numerous incidents, suspects have slipped GHB into unsuspecting individuals' alcoholic beverages and then sexually assaulted the victims while they were unconscious or immobilized by the drug.
History
Although found in minute amounts in the human brain and other bodily tissues, GHB's exact physiological role remains unknown.6 Researchers first produced GHB in Europe and later tested it for use as a short-term surgical anesthetic. However, the drug never grew in popularity due to its lack of painkilling properties.7
In the early 1980s, GHB emerged in U.S. health food stores as a "natural" aid to bodybuilding, weight loss, and sleep.8 After a rash of illnesses and adverse effects, including nausea, uncontrolled shaking, coma, and even death, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took GHB off the market in 1990.9 Except for research purposes, GHB is not approved for any use in the United States. Although possession of GHB is not illegal under federal law, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits its sale and manufacture. Recently, several states have enacted legislation classifying GHB as a Schedule I drug,to and 27 states, particularly California, Texas, Georgia, and Florida, have documented the illicit distribution of GHB."
Effects
The human body rapidly absorbs and metabolizes GHB. Peak concentration in the blood occurs 20 to 60 minutes after oral ingestion, but users can feel the effects in as little as 5 to 15 minutes.12 Physical symptoms begin unpredictably, differ from user...