The easy availability and production of the drug prompted Congress to take action. On Feb. 1, Congress passed the Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act making it illegal for anyone to possess, manufacture or distribute GHB, punishable by a prison term of up to 20 years. President Clinton is expected to sign it soon. Prosecute One goal of the new federal legislation was to facilitate prosecutions of those who use the drug to harm others, given that the nature of GHB makes it difficult to obtain convictions. If slipped into a drink, GHB is undetectable and can take just 20 minutes to make a victim unconscious.
Most people affected by the drug have no memory of the incident or events afterward.
GHB can disappear from the body without a trace after 24 hours, making detection of the drug difficult. But in the Reid case, prosecutors have the benefit of eyewitnesses and medical evidence, making their chances for convictions better than many date rape drug cases. The possibility of convictions is especially good, legal experts say, for involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors do not need to prove the defendants intended to kill, just that they had knowledge their actions could cause harm. Voluntary manslaughter will be more difficult to prove, experts say, because prosecutors must show intent to kill.