RCMP PROBE DATE-RAPE DRUG SCARE

Friends Fear Woman, 21, May Have Been Victim Of Drink Spiked With
GHB

Burnaby Mounties are trying to determine whether a young woman who
blacked out in a local pub was the victim of a date-rape drug.

Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre said the 21-year-old woman was drinking with
friends early Saturday at the Mountain Shadow Pub when "she started to
become unresponsive . . . and her friends thought the best thing to do
was to call a cab and get her home."

But once at home, her condition worsened and she fell unconscious.
Lemaitre said her friends feared she may have been a victim of the
date-rape drug GHB and called police and ambulance services.

GHB is a colourless, flavourless liquid that can be easily placed in a
person's drink and causes the victim to become disoriented.

Many people who use the drug have also reported nausea, headaches,
drowsiness, dizziness, amnesia, vomiting, loss of muscle control,
paralysis, respiratory problems and loss of consciousness. The drug
can also be fatal, especially when combined with alcohol or other drugs.

Lemaitre said that when police arrived at the home they found the
woman's friends "somewhat helpful, although they were intoxicated and
details were sketchy."

Police tried to find the type and amount of alcohol the victim
consumed and the people she had been socializing with that night.

She was rushed to hospital and stabilized a few hours later. Police
are still investigating.

Last June, Vancouver police issued a warning about date-rape drugs
after a series of unrelated incidents.

The federal government is considering tighter regulations on chemicals
used to produce GHB.