cannabisnews.com: Date-Rape Drug Series Kicks Off





Date-Rape Drug Series Kicks Off
Posted by FoM on December 08, 1999 at 09:43:46 PT
By Jodi S. Cohen, The Detroit News 
Source: Detroit News 
Michigan Sen. Spencer Abraham wants a national campaign to alert students about the dangers of GHB, a drug that an increasing number of teen-agers are using to get high. Too many students and parents don't know the risks of using GHB, gamma hydroxybutyrate, he said. 
In a two-day series earlier this week, The Detroit News chronicled the death of Samantha Reid, 15, who died in January after being slipped GHB, also known as a date-rape drug.   "A lot more people need to know about these drugs," Abraham told about 100 students at Warren Fitzgerald High School on Tuesday, kicking off a series of assemblies he will give at schools across the state. "We hope to have a national campaign about it. But I want to make sure that at least the people in our state know more about it."   After The News' series on Sunday and Monday, the Poison Control Center in Detroit received an increase in calls for information about GHB.   "There were a lot more calls than we normally would get," said Kelly Scheer, manager of public relations. The poison center typically receives calls about suspected overdoses on Friday and Saturday nights.   The liquid drug, with street names including G or Scoop, is odorless and colorless with a slightly salty taste. A small dose of GHB, typically made at home by people inexperienced with mixing drugs, can cause a buzz. But a slightly larger dose of a half-gram, the same amount found in a half-packet of sugar, can kill.   The drug is illegal in about half the states, including Michigan. Abraham sponsored legislation that would make GHB a federally regulated substance, putting it in the same category as cocaine and heroin. The legislation passed the Senate last month and likely will be sent to President Clinton in January.   Many police departments in Metro Detroit have acknowledged an increase in GHB abuse, both by people taking it on their own and using it in sexual assaults. Warren police told students on Tuesday that they are investigating a recent sexual assault where they suspect GHB was slipped into a woman's drink, rendering her unconscious.   "I had heard about kids using it at raves, but I didn't know that it could harm people in such bad ways," said Christine Yousif, 17, a junior at Warren Fitzgerald High School. "It is scary that there are kids in school who don't know all the damage it can do."   Students said they will be more careful to watch their drinks at parties. Police also urged them to call 911 if they think their friends have overdosed.   "Students don't realize this could happen to them," said Latoya Allen, 17, a senior in Warren. "They don't think about this drug as being able to kill someone."   Published: December 8, 1999 Copyright 1999, The Detroit NewsRelated Article:Senate Bill Makes GHB A Controlled Substance - 11/23/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3761.shtml
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