GHB was first produced in the 1960?s as an anaesthetic and comes as a liquid, powder or crystals. GHB is found in tiny amounts in all of us and in some fruits. Its quality varies depending on where its bought from: a sex shop, a street dealer or over the Internet.(Drugs & Medical Encyclopedia 1990)
More clubbers are taking GHB than ever before. In 1999, only one in 30 clubbers had taken GHB in the last month. In 2000 the figure has multiplied to one in four. GHB was made illegal in the US by the Food and Drug Administration in1990 and major GHB production switched to South Africa, where the drug was commercially available and found its way into the black market in the UK. But in 2000, South Africa made commercial production of GHB illegal. Now there are fears among users that the club scene may be flooded with the low-grade home made products, with no regulation of content or concentration.
GHB was originally developed in the US as a premedication to promote sleep before surgery. Until now, pharmaceutical-grade GHB was relatively easy to obtain for recreational use. It is suspected of being involved in club deaths and illness, but since most clubbers take GHB alongside ecstasy or other drugs, there is yet to be a coroner?s verdict of ?death by GHB? in the UK. Like ketamine, GHB is covered by the Medicines Act in the UK, meaning that it is permissible to possess it for personal use but anyone manufacturing or dealing it, can be prosecuted. Traditionally, it has been available from sex shops, but a number of sex shop owners have been taken to court for supplying the drug, claiming in their defense that they didn?t know it was illegal. A quick search of the net turns up a plethora of companies offering anything from GHB-making kits to high-grade powder, complete with a measuring spoon. One site offers the discerning customer a choice between the ?cheeky taster? 10g powdered GHB sample pack, the ?get your mates round? 25g party pack, the ?have it large? 50g deluxe pack, and the ?greedy bastard? 300g value pack at 199.99 pounds. It will deliver anywhere except the US and accepts all major credit cards. The price of GHB varies massively from 1.50 pounds per capful in a club to 30-50 pounds for a large bottle. The survey showed that 71.5% of the clubbers swallow it as a liquid, 15.4% swallow it as a powder, 10.1% swallow and snort it, and 3% smoke or snort it.(www.ecstasy.org)
Papa Smurf is 24 and lives in South Africa. Until recently, he has legally produced pharmaceutical GHB for health market.
?The first time I took GHB wasn?t great. A friend had some stuff he called liquid E (for empathy, not ecstasy), but it was badly made and after a while I got sick. So I decided to research it further and found that with some basic chemistry knowledge you can make it yourself. I ordered the ingredients over the net. When I tested the first batch, I didn?t have any scales, so I did about eight grams (over double the standard dosage) and was happily bouncing around until I passed out and woke up four hours later puking. That taught me to regulate the concentration. I started selling it to health companies and users on the net. GHB is a clear liquid, but we dye it blue and call it Smurff Juice. The gay market was already using it as a sex aid rather than a clubbing drug. I?ll often take it with my girlfriend and after 20 minutes we?ll be in a state of arousal. My performance improves and my girlfriend orgasms quicker because she?s so relaxed. If I?m clubbing, GHB allows me to dance as if I was on E and I often take it to come down off my last pill. It means I can still be sexually functional after taking an E. If I?m wired it also helps me to sleep. The government here has decided to ban GH?, most likely under pressure from the US. The result has been really low quality stuff in the market. I?ve stopped making it and will probably stop taking it if it becomes too risky. The danger is that unregulated stuff is creeping on to the rave scene where young, uninformed people are taking it as an n E alternative.? (Mixmag magazine)
GHB works quickly, usually taking 15 minutes to kick in. People taking low doses say they feel hyped-up, euphoric and sexy. But some liquid forms can irritate the stomach, causing nausea and vomiting. You may also feel disoriented and a bit pissed. Higher doses can lead to seizures, unconsciousness, coma or death. And there?s a very thin line between a low and a potentially dangerous dose.(Drugs & Medical Encyclopedia 1990).
A very common drug in the club scene, though lately its consumption decreased over 2000 is speed. Amphetamine is a blanket term for many different kinds of drugs including sped and crystal meth. Speed makes your brain cells release dopamine, so you feel happy. Most speed is of very low purity (about 5%) but ?base? or ?paste? is much stronger. Speed is usually swallowed or snorted (and it can also be injected). You?ll feel alert, full of energy, and happy. You won?t want to eat or sleep. Be prepared for endless random conversations. You?ll want to dance a lot; this repetitive movement is also a way of calming some of the agitation speed causes. On the minus side, some people hallucinate and feel anxious, irritable, panicky, paranoid or keep repeating certain movements, behaving like paranoid schizophrenics. There is risk to the heart (high blood pressure and upnormal heart beats), the brain (dopamine levels are reduced, making you miserable) and nervous systems (you may develop twitches). If you use speed often you may suffer from disturbed sleep, weight loss and mood swings.(www.ecstacy.org).
You can never be sure what substances are in the drugs you take. The contents of E?s (by far the most popular drug in Britain) vary widely, and it?s hard to assess the purity or powdered drugs in general. This makes it difficult to know just how much you?re taking. Everybody is affected in a different way by drugs, and your experience will not be the same every time you drop (take E). The amount you take the purity of the drug, how you take it, your mood, the state of your health, where you are and who you are with all play a part at the experience. Your expectations and past experiences also make a difference. Most people remember their first E, but later E experiences can blur into one. Unlike alcohol, there are no safe or recommended limits for drug use. How you take a drug is as important as the amount. Where you choose to take drugs and the people too are with can make a massive difference. When on E, the temperature, access to the toilets and plenty of chill-out space can help you get a grip of things. Friends who will tell you when to take a break and cool off, is also a bonus. The toxic effects of drugs on your body are only half the story. Quite often people are more at risk by what they do when they are on drugs. Driving on drugs is an obvious example. But getting into fights and having unsafe sex when you?re on drugs can also be more risky than the actual drugs themselves.