DANCE-CLUB ELIXIR FACES BAN IN STATE

Reports of serious illnesses after ingesting Blue Nitro

SACRAMENTO - The Legislature is moving to outlaw an elixir popular in San
Francisco dance clubs after reports that dozens of people have become
seriously ill by ingesting the mood-enhancement supplement.

Sometimes called Blue Nitro or Vitality, the designer potion is supposed to
lift your mood, boost your sex life, even burn fat and give you a decent
night's sleep. The liquid is distributed legally, sometimes in sex shops
and mostly over the Internet, but can cause comas and blackouts if mixed
with alcohol or other drugs.

City, state and federal health officials are concerned because Blue Nitro
transforms into another dangerous substance, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate),
that has been linked to the odorless and tasteless "date-rape" drug
outlawed in the state two years ago.

An urgency measure, which passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on
Tuesday, would ban the substance called gamma-butyrolactone - or GBL - an
active ingredient in the minty-tasting potions Blue Nitro and Vitality.

It's difficult to determine whether anyone has died as a result of
ingesting Blue Nitro or any GBL-related drink, state officials said. That's
because the substance becomes GHB in a person's system and because coroners
often don't test for GBL.

Increased ER visits cause concern

But San Francisco health officials were concerned enough about an increase
in emergency-room visits and reports of people blacking out as a result of
the drug that officials recently asked stores to voluntarily pull it off
shelves.

"It's being sold in the Castro, in South of Market clubs," Lt. Kitt
Crenshaw of the San Francisco Police Department told the Assembly Committee
Tuesday. "A lot of people think it's just drinking water, and they pass
out. . . . This drug is very dangerous, and if we don't do something to
outlaw this drug, I can see it being even more of an epidemic."

Assemblyman Mike Honda, D-San Jose, chairman of the Public Safety
Committee, wrote the measure that effectively would outlaw elixirs such as
Blue Nitro. The measure requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature
because Honda wants the ban implemented immediately if it is passed and
signed by Gov. Davis.

"Blue Nitro is a deadly health hazard and must be banned," Honda said.
"Date-rape drugs have no place in California, and Blue Nitro has no place
being marketed as a dietary supplement."

Honda's bill passed the committee with no opposition Tuesday. Davis does
not comment on legislature before it reaches his desk, but he is expected
to sign the measure.

The federal Food and Drug Administration says 55 people have had negative
reactions to ingesting GBL. In the most extreme case, a woman was found
dead in her home. Nineteen other people lost consciousness, many with such
difficulty in breathing that they required the insertion of breathing tubes.

Several GBL users were found to be incoherent while driving, and one was
involved in a car crash. Others appeared to have had seizures.

FDA seeks manufacturer recall

The FDA is asking manufacturers to recall all GBL products. One company,
Florida-based Trimfast Group Inc., has agreed to recall GBL sold under the
names Revivarant and Revivarant G. Other GBL-laced products include Gamma
G, GH Revitalizer, Remforce and Insom-X.

If other companies do not pull GBL off the market, the FDA could seize the
products. "FDA is considering all potential regulatory actions at its
disposal" and "will act expeditiously to protect the public health," agency
officials said.

Blue Nitro is manufactured by a West Palm Beach, Fla.-based company called
Alpha Earth Inc. The company Web site boasts that the positive effects of
Blue Nitro "may be due to the relation to GHB."

The company asserts that the liquid is not toxic and "like GHB is 100
percent safe when taken as directed." The company's Web site also includes
a disclaimer - in capital letters and with exclamation points - that it
should never be taken with alcohol or any drugs.

"This product, when taken properly, does not have any negative side
effects," Blue Nitro distributor Rick Alvarez told The Examiner recently.
"But if you abuse it, there is a dark side, no question about it, and we
will never deny that. You're always going to find somebody who abuses it,
just like you can walk into a liquor store and find someone who will abuse
something there."