CLUB DRUG GHB SEEN MORE OFTEN IN COUNTY

Jefferson County authorities are finding signs of the popular club
drug GHB more often in the bloodstream of dead teenagers. The trend is
alarming, they say.

"GHB is showing up more and more and shouldn't be discounted as a drug
of no importance," said Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Jay
Glass. "It should be considered a dangerous drug."

The drug has killed one teen in Jefferson County and likely
contributed to the deaths of several other drug overdose victims,
authorities said.

GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyrate, is a central nervous system depressant.
A potent, concentrated colorless liquid, the drug is about $10 per
dose and is often mixed with alcohol. It produces a feeling of
sedation and euphoria.

The drug is easily accessible at dance-culture rave parties and
popular among teenagers and young adults, police and sheriff's
deputies said.

When GHB began gaining popularity about five years ago, it was used to
relax unsuspecting people so that they could not resist sexual
advances and would suffer a loss of memory. However, authorities say
the drug is voluntarily taken as an intoxicant.

Earlier this year, a Gardendale High School student became the
county's first GHB death when the teen drank large amounts of the drug
while cruising in a car with friends and then fell unconscious,
sheriff's investigators said.

Joshua Griffin Walker, 16, died on June 27. Friends - ignorant of the
seriousness of Walker's condition - tried to revive him with water
from an outdoor hose and, when that failed, put him to bed to sleep it
off.

He was found dead the next morning at a friend's Center Point home,
according to sheriff department investigators. Toxicology tests showed
so much GHB in Walker's system that experts said it was a clear he
died from "acute GHB intoxication," Glass said.

Because of delays in testing, and then consideration of whether
criminal charges would be filed Walker's death, authorities only
recently released Walker's death as the first GHB fatality.

Glass on Monday said the July death of a 17-year-old is now under
investigation as possibly the second directly associated with GHB.

Much like Walker's death, the teen's friends put him to sleep on the
couch after he appeared intoxicated. He too was found dead the next
morning.

An autopsy showed significant levels of GHB, as well as other drugs,
in the teen's system. That's also been true in a handful of other
overdose deaths in recent months, including some adults, Glass said.

"It's not GHB alone, so it's hard to blame it on that," Glass said.
"But you can't discount it either."

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports 60 deaths nationwide
as of January 2000.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Sgt. Tony Richardson investigated Walker's
death and said he was astounded at what he found.

"Until June, I was not familiar with it. Since then, I've learned a
lot. It's easily obtainable by these kids just getting on the
Internet. It tells them how to get it, how to make it and the euphoria
it brings," Richardson said. "But it's not giving them all the
information. This stuff is killing kids; one for sure."

GHB was responsible for a spate of overdoses at area nightclubs late
last year and earlier this year. Its intoxicating effects begin 10 to
20 minutes after use and last up to four hours. At lower doses, the
drug can relieve anxiety and produce relaxation; however, as the dose
increases, the sedative effects may result in sleep and eventually
coma or death.

"A lot of these teenagers are ignoring the warnings; they're ignoring
what they see in front of them," said Birmingham police narcotics
investigator John Bishop. "These kids don't know what they're getting
into."