GHB and its precursor GBL were initially sold in health food stores and used by bodybuilders to stimulate muscle growth and burn fat. The Maryland Poison Center has reported 10 overdoses since mid-January 1999 in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, and Wicomico counties. When combined with other substances, the effects are intensified.
Intoxication can induce nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, respiratory depression, and coma.
GBL can be purchased directly from wholesale chemical stores, but may also be extracted from common varnish or woodstripping products sold at hardware stores. The FDA took GHB off the market in 1990 and in January 1999 asked for the recall of all GBL products. While GHB is illegal in some states, there is no current federal scheduling for the drug. At this time, it is unclear whether GBL would then be considered an analog thus making it illegal under the Analogs Act of 1986. GHB and GBL are not illegal in Maryland.