POWERLESS AGAINST GHB

Unwitting Victim Recounts Experience With Designer Drug Ideal For Date
Rape

I'm still not sure exactly what happened that night. I recall two
cosmopolitans. And then there was that glass of chardonnay. It was
brought out to the terrace from the inside bar on it's very own tray.
I didn't question it. Why would I? Rebecca [not her real name] and I
were in a four, maybe five, star restaurant. We were surrounded by
well-dressed customers. Yes, we had been dickteasing the manager. Yes,
we were flirting with anyone and everyone. But we were big girls, well
accustomed to men and their intentions. Together we were invincible.

After my first few sips of wine I began to gulp it down. "This is the
best chardonnay I've ever had," I kept saying. Rebecca, who was not
drinking that night, had a taste, which turned into two big gulps.
After that, she remembers parts of the evening. I remember nothing,
except for what she's told me.

Apparently, I was crazy. I became frisky and open. I still won't let
Rebecca tell me what I was saying. It makes me sick to think about it.
I feel like I would have done anything I was told to do.

We know we stayed past closing, running rampant amongst the staff,
stuffing our faces with white chocolate mousse from the kitchen. I
don't even like white chocolate. Rebecca, making much more sense than
I was, somehow got us out of the restaurant safely. I don't want to
think about what would have happened had I been alone.

I vaguely remember falling face first into Rebecca's kitchen cupboard.
Lying on her floor, my heart was pounding. One minute I was begging
her to call an ambulance, the next I was laughing hysterically. I felt
like I was outside of my body. I was in incredible pain, yet I made it
to Rebecca's computer to check my grades on Minerva and email a friend
to tell her I was bleeding from my mouth.

I woke up with a chipped tooth, bruises all over the back of my head,
and what I was to find out months later was a slightly fractured
vertebra. I'd never been that drunk before. And I've been drunk --
really drunk.

I was so ashamed. What had I done? What had I said? I could never look
at those people again. It wasn't until Rebecca and I worked out the
details of the evening that I was sure this wasn't a typical episode
of binge drinking. After being put on hold, transferred, and
disconnected by a web of hotlines, the guy from the drug line told me,
"It sounds like GHB, gamma hydroxy butyrate. You'll be fine. It leaves
your blood and urine after six to eight hours, so there's no point in
getting tested. You might be very tired for a few days."

"Fine? Fine?" I became so angry. I was missing part of my tooth. I
wanted justice.

Justice, I soon learned, is hard to come by when dealing with cases of
GHB. GHB, also known as G, Liquid Ecstasy (not the same as the drug
ecstasy), Grievous Bodily Harm, and Easy Lay, is easily made from
gamma butyrolactene (GBL), a major component of degreasing solvent and
floor stripper, and sodium hydroxide, available for sale as drain
cleaner. According to Joe Schwarcz, the Director of the McGill Office
for Science and Society, "The Internet brims with recipes which even a
neophyte can follow."

GHB takes the form of a clear liquid resembling water and is usually
stored in vials the size of hotel shampoo bottles, containing about
nine hits. Powder and capsule forms of GHB are also on the rise.

Many users claim GHB has no negative side effects and others don't
even consider it a drug. As the body manufactures small amounts of GHB
for its normal metabolism, it's often used as a dietary supplement to
aid sleep and enhance muscle growth. It's a popular party drug as its
effects include intoxication, increased energy, a strong desire to
socialise, sensuality, enhanced sexual experience, and muscle
relaxation. According to Project GHB, a web site containing
information about the drug, the negative effects of this central
nervous depressant include everything from loss of coordination to
vomiting to death. Although accepted and prescribed in many European
countries, the sale of GHB is illegal in Canada and the United States.

"GHB is in the hands of the chemical underground," says Schwarcz,
"With no regulations, no test for purity, and no scientifically
determined dosage regulations."

Controversy regarding its recreational use aside, one thing is for
certain, GHB is the ideal date-rape drug. When mixed with alcohol it's
virtually tasteless, sometimes a little salty. "It can easily be mixed
into a beverage," says Schwarcz, "And if the dose is right, it induces
a state of stupor leaving the victim powerless to resist advances. The
effect wears off in a few hours, with the victim's memory of the event
essentially wiped out -- ideal for the criminal."

With no trace in the blood or urine after 12 hours, any physical
evidence of GHB is also wiped out. Why should anyone believe the
victim when there is no proof?

I used to have a way of walking around a bar, a certain shimmy that
guaranteed some loser would buy me a drink. I'd run off and find my
friends so I wouldn't have to talk to him. Sick, I know, but I saved a
lot of money. I always felt in control. Those days are gone, and not
just for me. If GHB can happen to me in an upscale restaurant, it can
happen to any girl anywhere.

If You Think You've Been Drugged or Raped

1) Seek medical attention immediately. Request a drug test ASAP.
The McGill Sexual Assault Center: 398-8500
Montreal Sexual Assault Center: 934-4505
Montreal Drug Aid and Reference: 527-2626

2) Do your best to keep the substance with you for
testing.

3) Do not bathe or shower until you've received the appropriate
testing.

4) Write down everything you remember.

Protecting Yourself While You're Out

1) Check with friends every 20 minutes. Look for signs of over
intoxication. The effects of GHB can be difficult to distinguish from
extreme drunkenness.

2) Bring/buy your own drinks.

3) Accept drinks only from bartenders, waiters, or waitresses. Always
open your own drink.

4) Never leave your drink unattended.

5) If something seems strange about your drink throw it
out.

6) Get educated. Date-rape drugs are not going away and new kinds will
continue to appear. The more you know, the more you can protect
yourself and others.