GIRL, 3, DRANK DRUGGED WATER, FATHER FACES CRIMINAL CHARGE

Tot Suffered Apparent Seizure After Sipping From Bottle In Kitchen

A Vancouver father faces criminal charges after his three-year-old
daughter drank from a water bottle that contained the dangerous street
drug GHB and suffered what appeared to be a seizure.

Vancouver police say the 33-year-old man was at a party Saturday night
and left a water bottle containing GHB on the family's kitchen counter
when he returned home.

About 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning the little girl was playing and went
for a drink in the kitchen, where she found the water bottle and took
a sip.

"She started to vomit and then began to choke and appeared to have a
seizure," said Const. Tim Fanning.

Her mother called an ambulance and the little girl was taken to
hospital. She was released Monday, although Fanning could not say if
she had returned to her parents' home.

Police questioned the parents Sunday and have recommended a charge of
criminal negligence against the father, who has not been identified by
police to protect the little girl and her nine-year-old brother.

Investigators discovered the little girl had ingested GHB, which is
sometimes used as a date-rape drug and is also frequently used as a
street drug that gives the user a false sense of euphoria and
heightened libido.

The girl's father admitted to police he had been at a party Saturday
night, and that he had GHB in his water bottle, but Fanning said there
was no explanation given for the dangerous drug being in the water.

No one answered the door Monday afternoon at a three-storey house
where neighbours said ambulance and police were in attendance Sunday.

There was a children's walker was on the porch, along with a rocking
chair and hockey net. There was a large trampoline in the fenced-in
front yard of the home, which stands on a corner lot in Kitsilano.

A black Jeep parked on the street in front of the house bore stickers
on its windshield from two recent television productions, and had a
child's car seat in the back seat.

Police have said the 33-year-old father is in the film industry, but
have released little else.

A website resume for the man living in the brown house states he has
been a boom operator and a sound assistant since 1997. The resume
lists work on syndicated U.S. television series and movies shot in
B.C.

The resume also reveals the man played bass guitar in at least two
bands over the past decade, and suggests he has a variety of other
musical experience in jobs such as audio technician and guitar specialist.

The man could not be reached, and his lawyer, Rishi Gill, said he
would not comment about the case.

Late Monday afternoon two women knocked on the door of the house but
no one answered, and the women refused to comment. They referred all
questions to a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Children and Family
Development.

Kate Thompson, a spokeswoman for that ministry, would not confirm the
ministry's involvement in the case, citing confidentiality.

Speaking generally, however, she did say: "If there is any child at
risk, that would be investigated, and a determination would be made."

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, is a fast-acting drug that is
increasingly used by people looking to rid themselves of inhibitions,
increase their libido, and stay up all night. It is also known as
liquid ecstasy, nature's quaalude, and easy lay.

The dosage is sensitive and if too much of the drug is ingested, the
sense of euphoria can give way to drowsiness, dizziness and seizures.
In higher doses, GHB is used as a "date-rape drug" because in liquid
form, it is odourless, colourless and, aside from a slightly salty
taste, barely detectable in a drink. GHB is a depressant that acts on
the central nervous system and is not legal in Canada, but can be
bought on the street or made at home with one of the many recipes
found on the Internet.

The key ingredient is gamma-butyrolactone, or GBL, which is a solvent
found in paint strippers, floor cleaning products, nail polish, super
glue removers and drain openers. The GBL is mixed with sodium
hydroxide or lye, which can be purchased at drug and hardware stores.

Susan Ogilvie, director of communications for the BC Pharmacy
Association, said GHB is not legal for sale in Canada, although it is
occasionally used by doctors to treat narcolepsy, a rare sleeping disorder.

A doctor wanting to use GHB to treat a patient would have to apply for
it under Health Canada's special access program and must also contact
the bureau of controlled substances. Only after being approved for
treatment would a narcolepsy patient receive small quantities of the
drug.

Ogilvie said GHB is also occasionally used by muscle-builders who
believe it to be a strength enhancer.

"It is a stimulant that they use as a vanity drug in the gyms and they
believe that it produces a growth hormone that makes them more
muscular," she said.

The drug used to be sold in North American health stores, but was
banned by the U.S. in 1990 after several people showed up in emergency
rooms with serious breathing difficulties, seizures, or comas after
taking GHB.