gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid - As A Date Rape Drug

As A Date Rape Drug

Like alcohol and potent benzodiazepines such as flunitrazepam) (Rohypnol), GHB has been labeled as a date rape drug. The sodium form of GHB has an extremely salty taste but, as it is colourless and odorless, it has been described as "very easy to add to drinks" that mask the flavor. Allegedly, GHB has been used in cases of drug-related sexual assault, usually when the victim is vulnerable due to intoxication with a sedative, generally alcohol. It is difficult to establish how often GHB is used to facilitate rape as it is difficult to detect in a urine sample after a day, and many victims may not recall the rape until some time after this, although GHB can be detected in hair. Hair testing can be a useful tool in court cases and/or for the victim's own information. Over-the-counter urine test kits only test for date rape drugs that are benzodiazepines, which GHB is not. To detect GHB in urine, the sample must be taken within 8–12 hours of GHB ingestion, and cannot be tested at home. GHB can be detected in hair for months after GHB ingestion. Other drugs, such as muscle relaxers (Carisoprodol for example) are sometimes mixed with GHB. Therefore, it can be beneficial to request that the hair sample is tested for multiple drugs.

There have been several high profile cases of GHB as a date rape drug that received national attention in the United States. In early 1999 a 15 year old girl, Samantha Reid of Rockwood, MI, died from GHB poisoning. Reid’s death inspired the legislation titled the "Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 2000." This is the law that made GHB a schedule 1 controlled substance.

GHB, produced as a sodium salt (sodium oxybate), may provide a noticeable salty character to the drink, although individual sensitivity to the taste of salt varies. GHB can also be produced as different salts, some of which may not have a taste as distinctive as the sodium salt (e.g., magnesium oxybate), or much less commonly in the unstable free-acid form.