If a 911 call made early Friday morning was correct, Ohio State student Joseph Evan Upshaw may have been another victim of a new, yet popular, street drug.

The Columbus Drug Enforcement Agency has seen a dramatic increase in the use of GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, in the Columbus area, according to agent Christopher Bik.

“We are just starting to see GHB in this area, but I know that it is going to be a major problem,” Bik said.

Dr. Richard Nelson, professor and medical director of the OSU Department of Emergency Medicine, said that the colorless, tasteless and odorless drug is a fast-acting depressant that has often been used to facilitate date rape. It causes the rapid onset of drowsiness and, depending on the concentration, can cause death.

“If too much is taken, it can cause coma, seizures and can slow down or stop both breathing and heart rate,” Nelson said.

If mixed with alcohol, the drug can cause a coma-like sleep, or even death.

“We don’t see too many cases of GHB in the ER,” Nelson said. “They either sleep it off or are dead by the time they get to the ER.”

Bik said that the FDA has reported that as of January, 65 Americans are known to have died as a result of GHB, and thousands of overdoses have been attributed to the drug.

Also known as “G,” Liquid Ecstasy, Fantasy, Great Hormones at Bedtime, Scoop, Everclear, Cherry Meth and various other street names, the drug is made from gamma butyrolactone and sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

Nelson said that surgeons used GHB during the 1960s as an anesthetic, but side effects were too unreliable to continue its use. It was later used by body builders to increase muscle mass until banned by the FDA in 1991.

Since 1992, GHB has been a popular street drug, especially on the West Coast, Nelson said.

Muscle relaxation, loss of coordination, a desire to socialize and other effects similar to alcohol use result from GHB, Nelson said. Users can feel the effects as quickly as 15 minutes after use, usually lasting for a couple of hours. The drug is out of the body systems in less than a day.

Detective Jay Fulton of the Columbus Division of Police Sexual Abuse Squad said that because the clear liquid mixes well in beverages and is so fast-acting and hard to detect, it is often used as a date rape drug.

“We have seen an increase of rape victims reporting strange memory lapse, confusion and symptoms beyond a normal hangover,” Fulton said. “These symptoms are typical of someone who has been drugged by something like GHB.”

Someone who thinks they have been drugged should seek immediate help because after 12 hours, the drug is virtually undetectable, Fulton said.

He said that the use of the drug for date rapes has increased in the campus area this quarter.

“(GHB) is a big problem in Florida,” Fulton said. “Many students bring it back home with them after spring break.”

According to the Controlled Substance Act, which President Clinton signed into effect on Feb. 18, GHB is an illegal substance.

“We will actively pursue people who are doing and dealing in this drug,” Bik said. “I also have a feeling that we will be paying several visits to campus to speak about and deal with problems with GHB.”

Using GHB as a date rape drug is also punishable by law. It is considered an aggravated felony in the first degree.

“Basically, using drugs to get someone to have sex with you is considered the same as holding a gun to their head,” Fulton said.

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