PA A.G. CALLS ON GEN. ASSEMBLY TO CRIMINALIZE DATE RAPE DRUG

HARRISBURG, Pa., -- Pennsylvania Attorney General
Mike Fisher today called on the General Assembly to add the date rape
drug known as GHB or "Liquid X" to the list of Schedule I controlled
substances, allowing law enforcement agencies to crack down on its
use.

Fisher also requested action to prevent the illicit sales of its
dangerous precursor drug, GBL, otherwise known as "Blue Nitro" or
"Renewtrient."

"Give my narcotics agents the legal tools they need to arrest those
who illicitly make this notorious date rape drug," Fisher testified
before the state House Judiciary Committee. "GHB has now surpassed
Rohypnol, also known as roofies, in the number of times it has been
used to commit rape."

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, GHB
has been involved in more than 20 sexual assaults. It has also been
involved in more than 3,500 cases of abuse, including 600 overdoses
and 32 deaths.

In Pennsylvania, at least eight individuals have experienced life-
threatening comas following ingestion of GHB in 1998 alone.

In March, five young people from Bucks County ingested GHB they had
purchased over the Internet; all were hospitalized with
life-threatening comas. In May, a 16-year-old Centre County girl
overdosed on GHB. In July, two Penn State students were rushed to the
emergency room after ingesting GHB, both faced life-threatening side
effects including seizure and coma. Last April, police raided a
clandestine drug manufacturer near Indiana University of Pennsylvania
and seized thousands of doses of GHB.

GHB was sold as a diet drug until abuse by body builders forced the
Federal Food and Drug Administration to ban the drug in 1990. Clear,
odorless and nearly tasteless, the powerful depressant is considered a
new "date rape drug" because it can be slipped into a person's drink
without being detected. Once ingested, it has a paralyzing effect on
the victim and can cause short-term amnesia.

"Sexual predators who would use this drug to disable their victims can
easily obtain its ingredients and recipe on the Internet," Fisher
said. "This is another reason why it should be declared a controlled
substance. We need the legal tools to combat this dangerous drug."

Fisher said that GHB is currently unregulated by the federal
government and the Commonwealth as a controlled substance.

However, he noted that 22 states have already criminalized this drug.
In September, 1998, Fisher petitioned the Pennsylvania Department of
Health to list GHB as a controlled substance and place it in the most
restrictive category, Schedule I. Fisher is still awaiting action from
the Secretary of Health.

One of GHB's precursor chemicals, GBL, has also become a popular drug
of abuse. Although over 80,000 metric tons of GBL are sold every year
by chemical companies for use as floor stripper, circuit board cleaner
and other legitimate uses, it is now being sold by illicit operators
as a substitute for GHB. The chemical has the same deadly effects on
abusers as GHB. Illicit operators are setting up web sites and
selling GBL as a dietary supplement, sex enhancement or sleep aid
under labels like Blue Nitro, Renewtrient and RemForce.

Last year, a Florida woman overdosed and died from the GBL sleep aid
Renewtrient. GBL has caused life-threatening side effects in at least
55 people, including 18 young people in New Jersey. In January, the
FDA issued a voluntary recall of products containing GBL.

Fisher asked the Judiciary Committee to list GBL under the

Non-Controlled Substances Reporting & Registration Act. This will
require manufactures and web site operators to register with the
Department of Health. Manufacturers will also be required to obtain
from the prospective buyer a photo driver's license and a signed
statement providing a full description of how the substance is to be
used.

Fisher said this will cause illicit operators to stop selling GBL,
because they will not want law enforcement to know what they are
selling or how to find them. This will also help prevent
Pennsylvania's children from purchasing GBL over the Internet or at
the local hardware store.

"I want to stop this dangerous drug from getting into the hands of
Pennsylvania's children," Fisher said. "Our children should be able
to use the Internet to help them with their schoolwork, not to
purchase deadly chemicals." SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of Attorney
General