BILL IS SIGNED OUTLAWING `DATE RAPE DRUG'

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A bill to outlaw a so-called ``date rape drug'' has been
signed into law.

House Bill 2654 by Rep. Phil Ostrander, D-Collinsville, would add
gammahydroxybuterate to the state's list of controlled dangerous substances
on Nov. 1. The drug is a strong sedative used by some to subdue their
victims.

Ostrander said the drug, known as ``Liquid X,'' ``Fantasy'' or ``Grievous
Bodily Harm,'' is also used by teen-agers for a ``cheap high'' that can
result in a fatal overdose.

``I wrote this bill to take a dangerous substance out of the hands of
potential rapists and teen-agers who might fall for its deadly allure,'' he
said.

Other provisions in the new law gives prosecutors more authority to seize
drug dealers' property, even if they only pass through the state. It also
allows prosecutors to seize property or proceeds from drug transactions,
even if the transactions occurred in other states.

The bill was passed unanimously by the House and Senate and was signed into
law April 13.