BULLETIN INFORMATION

AUGUST 2002

Product No. 2002-L0424-003

U. S. D E P A R T M E N T O F J U S T I C E

©

Porrata Consulting

Introduction

Because the criminal penalties associated with

GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) have been made more

stringent and law enforcement pressure has rendered

GHB more difficult to obtain, the distribution and

abuse of GHB analogs have become an increasing

concern. GHB analogs, which include GBL, BD,

GHV, and GVL, are drugs that possess chemical

structures that closely resemble GHB. The ingestion of

any of these analogs produces physiological effects

similar to the effects associated with GHB abuse—

relaxation, mild euphoria, and drowsiness. Abusers

who emerge from a deep sleep or coma caused by

GHB analogs may become easily agitated and extremely combative. GHB analogs are of particular

concern because they contribute to increasing numbers

of auto accidents, sexual assaults, and deaths.

While federal law prohibits the sale of analogs

for human consumption, GHB analogs are available

legally as industrial solvents used to produce polyurethane, pesticides, elastic fibers, pharmaceuticals,

coatings on metal or plastic, and other products.

These analogs also are sold illicitly as supplements

for bodybuilding, fat loss, reversal of baldness,

improved eyesight, and to combat aging, depression,

drug addiction, and insomnia. GBL and BD are sold

as “fish tank cleaner,” “ink stain remover,” “ink

cartridge cleaner,” and “nail enamel remover” for

approximately $100 per bottle—much more expensive than comparable products. Law enforcement’s

efforts to identify the abuse of GHB analogs are

hampered by the fact that routine toxicological

screens do not detect the presence of these analogs. In

addition, distributors continually develop new analogs to avoid law enforcement detection.

Analogs

GHB analogs often are abused in place of

GHB or are used to produce GHB. Common GHB

analogs include GBL, BD, GHV, and GVL. (See

Table 1 on page 2.) Both GBL and BD metabolize

into GHB upon ingestion. GBL is the most common precursor used in the production of GHB.

GVL is abused in place of GHB because it metabolizes into GHV, which produces physiological

effects similar to GHB.
2

GHB Analogs—GBL, BD, GHV, and GVL

Abuse

GHB analogs are distributed as liquids and

consumed orally. When ingested, these analogs

produce effects such as relaxation, mild euphoria,

and drowsiness. Such effects are similar to those

associated with GHB abuse and may resemble the

results of alcohol intoxication. GHB analogs also

may increase libido, suggestibility, passivity, and

cause amnesia—traits that make users vulnerable to

sexual assault and other criminal acts. Users awakening or emerging from a coma may exhibit extreme combativeness, a condition which is also

observed among those in withdrawal from addiction

to GHB and its analogs. GHB analogs are known to

produce side effects such as topical irritation to the

skin and eyes, nausea, vomiting, incontinence, loss

of consciousness, seizures, liver damage, kidney

failure, respiratory depression, and even death. GHB

analogs are physically addictive, causing addicts to

experience severe withdrawal symptoms if they

miss a dose or attempt to stop using the drug.

Some GHB analog abusers begin consuming

dietary supplements believing the claims made by

manufacturers, and then find themselves addicted

to the product. GHB analogs typically are abused

in place of GHB by users who want to experience

the effects associated with GHB and who find the

analogs more widely available or easily obtained.

Often users are unaware that they are consuming

an analog and mistakenly believe that the substance they are ingesting is GHB. Many users mix

the analogs with flavored beverages to mitigate

their salty flavor and unappealing odor. Some

users, however, simply ingest the drugs straight or

mixed with water. It is often difficult or impossible

to detect the presence of GBL, BD, GHV, or GVL

when they are mixed with other liquids because all

these analogs are clear and colorless. A quick test

that indicates the possible presence of GHB analogs or GHB in a clear liquid involves shaking the

liquid. If it becomes cloudy, GHB analogs or GHB

may be present.

Because GHB analogs either are metabolized

into GHB by the human body or produce similar

physiological effects when ingested, healthcare

providers often are unable to distinguish between

the abuse of GHB and GHB analogs. Thus, the

rising abuse of GHB, evidenced by the increase in

Man Drugs Wife and Babysitter With BD

In March 2002 a South Dakota man was arrested

for possession of BD and the distribution of BD to

a minor. The man had purchased a dietary supplement containing BD from a Canadian company

over the Internet. The man’s wife believes that her

husband drugged both her and their babysitter

with the substance. The man allegedly experimented with the product on himself in order to

determine the dosage, in relation to body weight,

that would achieve the desired effects. On several

occasions, after consuming mixed drinks her

husband prepared, the wife fell into a deep sleep

and vaguely recalled her husband’s having sexually abused her. One evening, when both the

husband and wife had separate plans to be out of

the house, the wife returned home and found the

husband at home with the babysitter who said she

felt drowsy. The babysitter claimed that the husband had given her something for a headache and

said she recalled him rubbing her back and touching her breasts. The wife immediately took the

babysitter to the hospital and notified authorities.

Source: Sioux Falls Police Department.

Analog

Chemical Name/

Alternative Name

Precursor for

Production of

Metabolizes

Into

GBL

gamma-butyrolactone

furanone di-hydro

dihydrofuranone

G B HB GH

BD

1,4-butanediol

tetramethylene glycol

sucol-B

butylene glycol

G B BL GH

GHV gamma-hydroxyvalerate

methyl-GHB * *

GVL gamma-valerolactone

4-pentanolide G V HV GH

*GHV is not used as a precursor and is not metabolized into

another drug.

Table 1. GHB Analogs
3

National Drug Intelligence Center

Table 2. Emergency Department Mentions for

GHB and GBL in 22 Major U.S. Cities, 1994–2000

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN).

DAWN emergency department mentions, reflects

increased GHB analog use as well.

Distribution

GHB analogs are readily available, and various

methods are used to distribute these drugs. Because

of legislation (see page 5), GHB analogs are legally

available only in products not intended for human

consumption. Abusers and distributors may obtain

commercial products such as chemical solvents

legally and then illegally consume or distribute them.

Illegal distribution of GHB analogs often occurs at

raves, concerts, nightclubs, health clubs, gyms, and

on college campuses. At these venues GHB analogs

usually are sold for $10 to $20 per capful (approximately 1 teaspoonful). When distributors sell these

drugs, they may fail to specify which analog they are

selling, or they may misrepresent the analog as GHB.

GHB analogs also are distributed at disreputable stores that sell health food and nutritional

supplements. The analogs also may be marketed on

the Internet and then shipped to purchasers via

package delivery services. Typically, analogs are

marketed as dietary supplements, sleep aids, and

cleaning products. They are packaged in bottles

containing 4 to 20 ounces and sold for $40 to $100

each. The products that are distributed as dietary

supplements usually contain GVL as the active

ingredient, while the cleaning supplies usually

contain GBL or BD. The concentration of the analog

varies; therefore, the size of a dose may range from

one-half teaspoon to one-half ounce, and the number

of doses per bottle may range from 24 to 48.

Individuals who illegally produce GHB analogs

for human consumption often list alternative chemical names to disguise the ingredients. Most users

recognize the analog by the brand name or through

advertisements that tout the product as a replacement

for a similar product that has been removed from the

market. Products that contained BD or GBL such as

RenewTrient II, Serenity, Inner-G, Soma Solution,

and Blue Nitro are no longer sold, primarily because

of law enforcement pressure, but comparable

products with similar brand names are available.

GHB analogs often are sold with disclaimers

that they are not for human consumption; however,

many of the products have labels implying that the

product may be ingested. One product marketed as an

industrial solvent has a label that states “Warning!

Accidental ingestion of [product] will produce GHB

in your body. If you ingest some by mistake, don’t

take alcohol or any other drug!” Another product

label states “Warning: Accidental ingestion may

cause... euphoria...increases tactile sensitivity....”

BD Ingredient in Sleep Aid

On January 27, 2000, a Utah man died from taking

Zen, a product containing sucol-B, an alternative

name for 1,4-butanediol. The man initially purchased

the product in July 1999 as a sleep aid from a local

health food store and was unaware that the product

contained a GHB analog. He realized he had become

addicted to the substance and was trying to wean

himself from it before his death. In April 2002 the

man’s widow reached an undisclosed settlement in a

case filed in civil court holding the store responsible in

the wrongful death of her husband, claiming they failed

to warn consumers that the product contained an

active ingredient that is processed by the body into

GHB.

Sources: G. Erick Nielson and Associates (plaintiff’s legal

representative); Associated Press.

Y l ear Tota

1 6 994 5

1 5 995 14

1 8 996 63

1 2 997 76

1 2 998 1,28

1 8 999 3,17

2 9 000 4,96
4

GHB Analogs—GBL, BD, GHV, and GVL

Many of the products are marketed as “Great Household Bargains” (GHB) in order to increase their

exposure to individuals seeking GHB analogs.

In addition to the distribution methods discussed

previously, supplies, kits, and recipes for producing

GHB using the GHB analog GBL are marketed and

sold on the Internet.

Tests for GHB Analogs

Seized GHB analogs frequently are not identified

because detection of such analogs requires specific

field and laboratory testing. Three different color

tests—cobalt nitrate, Marquis reagent, and Mandelin

reagent—are useful for detecting the presence of GHB

analogs. (Contact forensic laboratories to obtain

specific instructions regarding utilizing these test kits.)

Both the Marquis reagent and the Mandelin reagent

tests are available commercially.

Routine toxicological screens do not detect

GHB or GHB analogs; thus, law enforcement

officers and medical personnel must order specific

blood and urine tests when they suspect GHB

analog abuse. Federal, state, and local forensic

laboratories may not routinely test for GHB in

blood or urine. The most common urine tests

screen only for the “NIDA-5,” five of the most

commonly abused categories of drugs—amphetamines (amphetamines, methamphetamine),

cocaine (powdered cocaine, crack), cannabinoids

(marijuana, hash), opiates (heroin, opium, codeine,

morphine), and phencyclidine (PCP). GHB in the

blood or urine can result from the ingestion of

GHB, GBL, or BD. To yield a reliable result, tests

for GHB and GHB analogs must be performed not

long after ingestion. Urine tests for GHB and GHB

analogs must be performed within 12 hours after

ingestion, and blood tests must be performed

within 5 hours.

GHB Factor in Auto Fatality

On November 21, 2000, a Florida woman under the

influence of GHB crashed head-on into another car,

killing a passenger in the other vehicle. Hours before

the incident, the woman had been arrested after

passing out at a red light. A Breathalyzer test failed to

detect alcohol; however, the woman admitted to

having drunk from a bottle that contained GHB. She

posted bond and was released. Two weeks before the

fatal collision, the driver had been ticketed for careless

driving; police did not detain her because the officer at

the scene did not smell alcohol and did not know to

test for GHB.

Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement; St. Petersburg

Times.

Because GHB analogs produce effects similar

to GHB, driving under the influence of the analogs

is just as dangerous as driving under the influence

of GHB. As a result, some agencies have adopted

aggressive strategies for identifying drivers who

may have consumed GHB. The Pinellas-Pasco

Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida conducts

GHB tests on drivers who are suspected of driving

under the influence (DUI). In 2000 GHB was

detected in approximately 8 percent of the

suspected DUI cases that the office examined.

GHB Kits

Between March 22, 1999, and January 20, 2000,

two brothers operating from Mississippi and South

Carolina marketed “GHB kits” on the Internet disguised as computer-cleaning solvents. The kits

included instructions for producing GHB from GBL

and contained enough GBL and sodium hydroxide

(the chemical used to convert GBL to GHB) to make

15 to 20 doses of GHB; the kits were sold for $55.

New Jersey Statewide Narcotics Task Force investigators made nine undercover purchases by communicating via web sites and an e-mail account. Police

seized a 55-gallon drum of GBL and 10 pounds of

sodium hydroxide from a home owned by the brothers in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. On March

23, 2002, a New Jersey court sentenced the brothers to 4 years in prison under a plea agreement.

Source: Associated Press.
5

National Drug Intelligence Center

Legislation

On February 18, 2000, the “Hillory J. Farias

and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Prohibition Act of

1999” (Public Law 106-172) was signed into law,

legislating GHB as a Schedule I controlled substance. GBL was also regulated under this law as a

List I controlled chemical. Illicit use of GHB

analogs may now be prosecuted as Schedule I

substances under 21 U.S. Code § 813.

GHB analogs are treated as controlled substances under Federal law only if intended for

human consumption. According to 21 U.S.C. § 813,

“a controlled substance analog(ue) shall, to the

extent intended for human consumption, be treated,

for the purposes of any Federal law as a controlled

substance in Schedule I.” Thus, authorities can

prosecute drug offenses involving GHB analogs in

the same manner as offenses involving GHB. (See

21 U.S.C. § 802(32) for the definition of a controlled substance analog(ue).)

Outlook

Deterring the distribution and abuse of GHB

analogs poses unique challenges. Some analogs

have legitimate purposes and are legally available.

Distributors of illicit GHB analogs will continue to

develop new products to disguise their activities,

and illicit producers will continue to develop new

GHB analogs for the same reasons. Web sites

advertising these products will continue to be

deceptive and ever-changing. Distributors will

develop new disguises for GHB analogs in addition to marketing them as cleaning fluids and

dietary supplements. Sharing current information

and associated trends relating to GHB analogs

among medical personnel, law enforcement officers,

and laboratory personnel is essential to stemming

the distribution and abuse of these analogs.
6

GHB Analogs—GBL, BD, GHV, and GVL

Sources

Annals of Emergency Medicine

Associated Press

Broward County (FL) Commission on Substance Abuse

Emedicine, www.emedicine.com

Florida Department of Law Enforcement

G. Erick Nielson and Associates

Hazeldon Foundation

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

Journal of the Clandestine Laboratory Investigating Chemists Association

Missouri State Highway Patrol

Neuropharmacology

New England Journal of Medicine

Pennsylvania Attorney General, Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control

Porrata Consulting, Inc.

Sioux Falls Police Department

St. Petersburg Times

U.S. Code Title 21, Food and Drugs

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Food and Drug Administration

National Institutes of Health

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Community Epidemiology Work Group

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Drug Abuse Warning Network

U.S. Department of Justice

Drug Enforcement Administration

Philadelphia Division

St. Louis Division

United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention

WebMD Medical News, onhealth.webmd.com
7

National Drug Intelligence Center

This page intentionally left blank.
GHB Analogs—GBL, BD, GHV, and GVL

319 Washington Street 5th Floor, Johnstown, PA 15901-1622 • (814) 532-4601

NDIC publications are available on the following web sites:

ADNET http://ndicosa LEO home.leo.gov/lesig/ndic

RISS ndic.riss.net INTERNET www.usdoj.gov/ndic

032803