‘Date Rape’ Drug Banned

Clinton Signs Bill Imposing Severe Penalties for Possessing GHB

By Catherine Strong

The Associated Press

W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 19 — President Clinton signed a bill Friday that toughens federal laws for possession of a powerful “date rape” drug.

GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, has been linked to at least 58 deaths since 1990 and more than 5,700 recorded overdoses, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. There have been at least five GHB-related deaths in Michigan.

A few drops of the colorless and odorless drug can be slipped into a drink, rendering a victim unconscious within 20 minutes. Victims frequently have no memory of what happened, and the drug is difficult to trace, often leaving the body within 24 hours.

The bill is named for two teen-agers who died after GHB was slipped into their soft drinks. One of the girls, 15-year-old Samantha Reid, died last year after the drug was put in her soda at a party in Grosse Ile, Mich. Trial is under way in Detroit for four men charged with manslaughter in her death.

The other teen-ager, Hillory J. Farias, was from Texas.

“One only has to look at the title of the GHB bill to glimpse the tragedies that lie behind the easy availability of this drug,” said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the bill. High Penalties

Under the legislation, GHB would be placed in a category of drugs that are the most strictly regulated by the federal Controlled Substances Act. Anyone who possesses, manufactures or distributes GHB could face a prison term of up to 20 years.

The legislation would give the DEA authority for the first time to seek federal criminal prosecutions against those possessing and distributing the drug, DEA officials said.

Exceptions would be made for GHB clinical studies approved by the Food and Drug Administration to determine whether the drug helps with medical problems such as narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder.

The legislation also places tougher monitoring controls on the distribution of GBL, a component of GHB, to try to prevent its diversion for illegal uses.

GBL has commercial applications, including being used as a paint remover and dietary supplement. Some products containing GBL have been promoted with unsubstantiated claims to build muscles, enhance sex, reduce stress or induce sleep.

GHB, which can give users a high, also has been mixed in bathtubs at parties, and instructions on how to make it easily can be obtained over the Internet, authorities say.

GHB already is a controlled substance in 20 states, including Michigan.

“This law gives federal officials a role in tracking down date rape drug abusers and gives us another voice to help educate our kids and parents about the dangers of GHB,” said the bill’s Senate sponsor, Spencer Abraham, R-Mich.

The law also requires the federal government to launch a nationwide public awareness campaign about GHB.