OVERDOSES SHOW CLUB DRUG ON RISE, POLICE SAY

PORTLAND (AP) - Seven people overdosed on the club drug GHB in Portland
last weekend, including two who suffered convulsions and stopped breathing,
the Portland Police Bureau said Thursday.

The cases raised concerns among police and county health officials that the
drug is gaining in popularity.

"More likely than not, somebody mixed their own batch and thought they were
going to go and make their own money," said officer Pat Walsh of the Police
Bureau's drugs and vice division.

The two who went into convulsions were in critical condition when they
arrived at hospitals and had to be resuscitated, said Dr. John Jui of
Multnomah County's Emergency Medical Services.

GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, is a colorless, odorless liquid that can
cause nausea, vomiting and respiratory arrest. It has been in the Portland
area for at least the past five years, law enforcement and medical
authorities said.

The drug and other substitutes are often used in combination with other
recreational drugs such as Ecstasy that are commonly used by people in
their late teens and early 20s at all-night dance parties known as raves.

"We've seen this drug for a while, but I think it's now hitting the rave
scene," Jui said. "We really don't know the extent or severity of it, but
it's certainly escalating. We need to join forces with law enforcement to
educate the public and determine its sources."

The drug was legal until 1990 and used as a nutritional supplement for body
building and weight loss. It first gained notoriety in the mid-1990s when
men slipped it into women's drinks and then sexually assaulted them after
they lost consciousness. Hence, it was known as a "date rape drug."

Depending on the dose, the user falls into a dreamy stupor within 15 to 30
minutes. It's considered addictive and causes withdrawal symptoms.