CONGRESS OKS TOUGHER DATE-RAPE DRUG LAW

WASHINGTON - A bill that significantly toughens federal laws and
prison sentences for possession of a powerful ``date rape'' drug has
passed the House and been sent to President Clinton for his signature.

Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., the bill's House sponsor, said Clinton
indicated he would sign the bill.

GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, has been linked to at least 58 deaths
since 1990 and more than 5,700 recorded overdoses, the Drug
Enforcement Administration has said.

A few drops of the drug, which is colorless and odorless, can be
slipped into a drink, rendering a victim unconscious within 20
minutes. Victims frequently have no memory of what happened, and the
drug is difficult to trace, often leaving the body within 24 hours.

The House passed the bill Monday evening by a vote of 339-2, accepting
minor revisions to it made by the Senate. The Senate passed the
legislation by voice vote in November. The two House members voting
against it were Reps. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and Helen Chenoweth, R-Idaho.

Upton said GHB is a ``dangerous and sometimes fatal drug used to
facilitate sexual assaults.'' He said deaths from the drug ``are
increasing rapidly,'' from one in 1990 to 17 last year.

Under the legislation, GHB would be placed in a category of drugs that
are the most strictly regulated by the federal Controlled Substances
Act. Anyone who possesses, manufactures or distributes GHB could face
a prison term of up to 20 years.

The legislation would give the DEA authority for the first time
to seek federal criminal prosecutions against those possessing and
distributing the drug, DEA officials said. The bill also significantly
increases prison time for the drug.

Exceptions would be made for GHB clinical studies approved by the Food
and Drug Administration to determine whether the drug helps with
medical problems such as narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder.

The legislation also places tougher monitoring controls on the
distribution of GBL, a component of GHB which has commercial
applications, to try to prevent its diversion for illegal uses.

GHB, which can give users a high, also has been mixed in bathtubs at
parties, and instructions on how to make it can be easily obtained
over the Internet, authorities say.

GHB already is a controlled substance in 20 states.