SEX DRUGS ROCKED AND ROLLED

- -- Stuart Clark reports on the controversy surrounding 'rape drug' GHB, and
asks, in a less sombre note, whether amyl nitrate is still top of the
poppers --

Bill Clinton is the last person you'd expect to be lauded by women's
groups, but that's exactly what's happened as a result of him championing
the Hillary J. Farias Date Rape Prevention Act.

Just signed into American law, the Act addresses Gamma Hydroxybutrate's use
as a rape drug by putting it in the same legal category as heroin and
cocaine. From now on, anybody convicted of administering it to an unknowing
person can be jailed for up to 20 years.

The President is rather less of a hero in club circles where Liquid E, as
it's euphemistically known, has become almost as popular as the solidified
version.

On this side of the Atlantic, GHB is best-known for its leurve-making
properties with bottles going for a tenner a pop in Soho's seedier sex
shops. While they technically need a pharmacist's licence to sell it, the
fact that GHB possession isn't illegal means that the Police rarely if ever
take action.

HOT PRESS' attempts to determine its status here resulted in this rather
bizarre conversation with a member of the Garda National Drugs Unit.

HOT PRESS: ``Hello, I'm trying to find out if Gamma Hydroxybutrate is
illegal in Ireland.''

NDU PERSON: ``Gamma Hydroxy... I've not heard of that one. Hang on, I'll
just check. (Places hand over phone) `There' a fella here from HOT PRESS
wanting to know about Gamma something-or-rather. Yup... okay... right.'
(Hand taken away from phone). We've just had a look and, yes, it is a
controlled substance.''

``Have you ever come across it yourself?''

``No, I can't say I have.''

Gamma Hydroxybutrate is available in Ireland, although in what quantities
it's impossible to gauge.

``It's nowhere near as big as poppers but, yeah, we do have people wanting
to buy it,'' reveals the owner of a Dublin adult shop. ``Normally we say
it's illegal and leave it at that, but if it's somebody we know we suggest
they have a surf around on the net.''

Having decided that Great Highland Bagpipes in KiIberry wasn't quite we
were looking for, we found a UK company, Vital Chemistry, who promise to
deliver pharmaceutical GHB anywhere in Europe within ten days. Prices range
from pounds 12 for a l0g starter pack to pounds 199 for a 300g stock pile.

``10 grams would give you two or three decent hits,'' says a 24-year-old
Irish user, Robbie. ``I've ordered GHB from the net eight or nine times
now, and never had any problems with customs. Not only that, but I had a
bottle discovered in my luggage coming through Dublin Airport recently, and
nobody batted an eyelid.''

GHB was first synthesised in France 30 years ago, so while it might be a
recent addition to the party scene, it's certainly not a new drug. As well
as helping people to large it up, it's been used as a general anaesthetic
and treatment for narcolepsy.

Taken in small doses, it produces a relaxed and euphoric state similar in
some respects to alcohol, and in others to MDMA. The comparisons to E are
ironic, however, as the two are on opposite ends of the pharmacological
spectrum - MDMA is classed as an amphetamine, while GHB is a
sedative/hypnotic.

At higher doses, or mixed with drink, it can cause extreme drowsiness -
which is why it's been bracketed with Rohypnol and Ketamine as a rape drug.

``The difference between the dose needed to create euphoria and that
resulting in unconsciousness is very small,'' states the British Medical
Council. ``Rohypnol or `Roofies' has had most of the limelight as the
date-rape drug of choice, but the incidence of GHB being used as such are
on the rise. When added to a drink it's salty taste is masked.''

Worse still, with Gamma Hydroxybutrate only staying in the system for 12
hours, it's impossible to detect unless a rape victim goes straight to a
doctor for blood or urine tests.

Another substance that's been in the news for the wrong reasons this month
is Amyl Nitrate or ``poppers''.

In a warning to Viagra users, Roger Kirby of the British Association of
Urological Surgeons says: ``If it is taken with any drug containing nitric
oxide - such as poppers - it could be extremely hazardous. This is because
the potentially lethal combination can lead to a decline in blood pressure
that could cause a heart attack or stroke.''

For the time being, though, Amyl Nitrate remains legal and is widely
available in Irish adult shops for pounds 6 a bottle. Its use as a sex aid
by gay men - high doses relax the sphincter - brings with it another set of
concerns.

``Poppers are an immune suppressant, so people with HIV and with health
problems should be careful,'' points out Mick Quinlan of the Gay Man's
Health Project. ``There is a risk of death if the liquid is ingested, and
also it can cause damage to the nose if it gets in.''

``All drugs affect judgement so people should be careful and have safe
sex.''

Away from the sexual arena, Amyl Nitrate and its chemical cousin, Butyl
nitrate, have joined Vick's Vapor Rub as an essential rave accessory.
Unfortunately for hedonists, the extra oomph they give E is offset by the
mother of all headaches which follows.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about poppers is, like magic mushrooms,
they're legal but have only been tried by 16% of 16 to 29-year-olds. Hardly
the statistics that drug epidemics are made of.

GHB and Amyl Nitrate - The Hot Press Findings:

* Despite Gamma Hydroxybutrate being a controlled substance, the Gardai are
barely aware of its existence.

* GHB can be ordered over the Internet for as little as pounds 12.

* New American legislation puts GHB in the same legal category as heroin.

* Amyl nitrate remains legal and is widely available in Irish sex shops for
pounds 6 a bottle.

* Combining amyl nitrate with Viagra is potentially fatal.

* 16% of 16 to 29-year-olds have tried poppers.