GHB BILL ADVANCES TO HOUSE

MONTGOMERY -- There is little middle ground in this debate - GHB is
either a wonder drug that changes lives for the better, or a dangerous
intoxicant that's poised to wreak havoc in an epidemic of abuse.

State lawmakers have come down on the epidemic side, so far. The House
Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved legislation setting up
punishments for trafficking in GHB. The proposal also sets sentences
for dealing flunitrazepam - known by the brand name Rohypnol, or on
the street as "roofies."

The bill now goes to the full House; the Senate is expected to
consider a companion bill.

GHB and Rohypnol are controlled substances in Alabama and across the
United States, although both are widely accepted in other countries.
The clampdown stems from reports that the drugs cause comas and death
when abused, and that women are being drugged surreptitiously and
raped while unconscious.

But while the drugs have become known as "date-rape" drugs, the extent
of the problem is hard to quantify. Of the 1,396 rapes reported in
Alabama last year, about 100 involved drugs, according to the Alabama
Coalition Against Rape - but it's not certain how many cases involved
GHB or Rohypnol.

The drugs are hard to detect unless an investigator knows to look for
them, said James Upshaw Downs, director of the Alabama Department of
Forensic Science. They also have a short window of opportunity for
detection.

The debate focuses on GHB - gamma hydroxybutyrate - a substance that
occurs naturally in small amounts in humans and animals. Several cases
of illnesses thought to be caused by GHB have been reported in Mobile.

At Wednesday's meeting, the criticism of GHB drew protests from
Baldwin County residents who spoke passionately about its positive
health effects.

"All I know is, it works for me. It's really changed my life," said
Carla Mund, a retiree who lives in Elberta. She said it helps regulate
her sleep cycle so that she has more energy and drive during the day.
She and her husband, Harry, use a sleep aid containing gamma
butyrolactone, or GBL, which the body changes into GHB. While GBL is
still legal, it's becoming harder to find because of its association
with GHB, Mrs. Mund said.

Another GHB defender, Don McGriff of Fairhope, told committee members
that alcohol is the main intoxicant used in date rapes, and disputed
testimony blaming three deaths in Alabama on GHB.

McGriff, who serves on the Baldwin County Board of Education, has used
GHB in the past to treat narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder. The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration is conducting clinical trials that likely
will certify GHB as a treatment for narcolepsy, Downs said. If that
happens, GHB can be dispensed by physicians, he said, but that doesn't
have anything to do with the legislation under consideration.

The bill sets up penalties for possessing large amounts of the drugs -
more than 100 grams of GHB or more than 500 Rohypnol pills. Penalties
would range from three years to life in prison and fines of $50,000 to
$500,000.