DRUG IS AVAILABLE, AFFORDABLE AND LETHAL

GHB, widely known as 'date-rape drug,' has put more people in hospital than
Ecstasy, officials say.

It's a relatively cheap way to get stoned, and it appears to be making its
way into Indiana high schools and colleges with greater frequency.

But what many Hoosiers don't know about GHB -- a chemical mixture commonly
referred to as the "date rape drug" -- is that taking the illegal substance
to get a buzz could end up costing you much more than its $5 per capful price.

It could cost you your life.

GHB is a "very dangerous drug that can cause death on the very first use,"
said Jerry McCory, director of the Governor's Commission for a Drug-Free
Indiana. "It's important for people, especially young people, to know about
how dangerous this drug really is."

At least three people in central Indiana have died in the past two years
from taking the colorless, odorless liquid, state figures show. Nationwide,
the drug has led to the deaths of 73 people since 1995. Federal officials
say the drug has put more people in the hospital than Ecstasy, its more
publicized cousin.

Gamma hydroxybutyrate -- known to many as "Liquid Ex," "Georgia Home Boy,"
"Scoop" or "Grievous Bodily Harm" -- is a depressant taken because it can
produce euphoric and hallucinatory states.

Schools and universities across the state are on the lookout for GHB.
Methods being used to track the drug include conducting student surveys and
monitoring counseling sessions.

Irene Stevens, Butler University's dean of student life, said fewer than 2
percent of the school's 4,100 students say they have tried the drug. But
she said the possibility of GHB making its way to the Indianapolis campus
is a real concern.

She said students have recently told her that GHB is readily available amid
the city's thriving club and party scene.

"We are educating people," Stevens added, "and seriously keeping an eye out
for it."

Some students who have tried GHB for the first time say they never will
take it again. None wanted to talk publicly about their experience with the
drug.

Although GHB was first thought to be safe for bodybuilding and made
available in health food stores, the medical community now derides the drug
for causing serious health problems such as dizziness, nausea, seizures,
severe respiratory problems and depression.

Recipes differ from city to city, police say. Most contain the chemical
gamma butryl lactone and a combination of floor stripper solvents, paint
thinners and degreasers.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, GHB is most frequently taken
by high school and college students and often can be found at rave dance
parties, where it is taken for its intoxicating effects. It is often mixed
into alcoholic beverages -- the recipe for an oft- deadly cocktail, health
experts say.

In 1990, the Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory declaring GHB
unsafe and illicit except if used with the approval of the FDA and under
the supervision of physicians. A decade later, the Clinton administration
declared the drug to be a controlled substance.

GHB first captured headlines about five years ago because it was used to
commit sexual assaults. Drug experts are somewhat perplexed by its use
among addicts.

Some of those who have willingly taken GHB now lie comatose; others have
permanent psychological damage.

The most serious problems are encountered when GHB is used regularly,
according to Dr. Wilkie Wilson, a professor at Duke University Medical
Center. He said attempting to rid the drug from a person's body after
prolonged use can have dire results.

"I've seen people become psychotic," said Wilson, a leading drug abuse
researcher. "Some were required to be hospitalized for two weeks, with one
person having to wear restraints for four days so that sedatives could be
given.

"Withdrawal from this drug after you have become used to it is just terrible."

Even though it has become more popular, federal officials say they're
having trouble tracking just how much GHB is used because the chemical
cannot be detected in the bloodstream after 12 hours.

McCory of the Indiana drug commission said while education and making
parents more aware of their children's daily routines can help fight GHB,
he also urged local law enforcement to be more vigilant in eliminating the
drug.