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GHB is a clear odorless liquid (usually mixed
with alcohol) or a white powder (usually made
into tablets or capsules.) GHB is snorted, smoked,
or mixed into drinks. The most commonly abused
form is the liquid.
On the street, it is usually sold as a liquid
by the dose (a capful from a bottle or drops).
In some cities, GHB is put into water guns, and
users buy it by the squirt. In other instances,
candy, such as a lollipop, is dipped in GHB and
sold.
Source: SAMHSA/CSAT, "GHB:
A Club Drug to Watch," Substance Abuse Treatment
Advisory, Nov. 2002
EFFECTS OF USE:
The effects of GHB vary each time a person uses
it and it affects each person differently. Initial
effects include euphoria and relaxation. Within
15 minutes nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, visual
disturbances, respiratory distress, amnesia, seizures,
and coma are possible. It is difficult to predict
a person's reaction to GHB-- because GHB is produced
in clandestine labs, the purity and strength of
doses vary. Coma, poisoning and death resulting
from ingestion of GHB have been well documented.
As of November 2000, DEA documented 71 GHB-related
deaths.
Coma and seizures can occur following abuse of
GHB and, when combined with methamphetamine, there
appears to be an increased risk of seizure. Combining
use with other drugs such as alcohol can result
in nausea and difficulty breathing. GHB may also
produce withdrawal effects, including insomnia,
anxiety, tremors, and sweating. Because of concern
about Rohypnol, GHB, and other similarly abused
sedative-hypnotics, Congress passed the "Drug-Induced
Rape Prevention and Punishment Act of 1996"
in October 1996. This legislation increased Federal
penalties for use of any controlled substance
to aid in sexual assault.
Source: "Rohypnol
and GHB," NIDA InfoFacts, #13556
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