'Date rape' drug GHB making inroads on the club bar scene
By D. LEINWAND - USA Today (SPJ 1/28/02)

GHB, the highly addictive "date rape" drug outlawed by Congress two years ago, is becoming increasingly popular on college campuses and at raves even though it can trigger potentially fatal comas.

The emergence of GHB as a recreational drug comes as law enforcement officials are focusing on Ecstasy, a more widely used club drug. GHB's surge has surprised police and health officials, who for years have treated the mixture of common industrial chemicals as something that few people would consume by choice.

Unlike Ecstasy or cocaine, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) gives users no sense of euphoria. The slightly bitter liquid puts users in a dreamy stupor, or worse, a coma that can kill them.

Government and law enforcement education efforts regarding GHB have dealt largely with warning women about predators who could spike their drinks with the drug, rather than the risks of taking it for fun.

"Something that puts you into a coma is not something (most people) voluntarily do," said Alan Leshner, a former executive director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Bethesda, Md. " Normal people don't say, 'I'm looking forward to my next coma."

But now drug abuse agencies nationwide are placing more emphasis on the dangers of GHB, which also is known as "G," "Liquid X" and "Easy Lay" among teenagers and young adults who use it.

Emergency room admissions involving GHB nearly quadrupled nationwide from 1998 to 2000, when 4,969 cases were reported, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said. U.S. officials do not keep statistics on how many people use particular drugs, but they say survey data and anecdotal evidence such as drug seizures and activity by drug traffickers — indicate that Ecstasy easily remains the most popular club drug.

And yet, more people are overdosing on GHB than Ecstasy. In 2000, 2,482 GHB users visited the emergency room for an overdose compared with 1,742 Ecstasy users. Health officials say that's an indication that GHB is more dangerous and gaining in popularity.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said that 73 people have died from taking GHB since 1995. There were 27 Ecstasy related deaths from 1994 to 1998, according to the most recent figures available from U.S. officials.