The Return Of GHB: The Internet Revives Yet Another 90s Fad, This Time With Major Legal Consequences
Much to the chagrin of those who lived the most embarrassing moments of their adolescence in the final decade of the previous millennium, many fads from the 1990s are making a comeback. Movies and TV shows from the 90s are getting reimagined and rebooted, to the choker necklaces, ripped jeans, and tie dye shirts that you never again thought you would see young people wearing, lots of trends from the 90s are back in style. Of course, lots of things have changed; you no longer need specialized knowledge of computers to use the Internet, and in many cities in Pennsylvania, you are free to smoke weed without fear of criminal penalties. As for a trend in the other direction, GHB, a club drug that was as popular in the 1990s as it was unregulated, is now a Schedule I controlled substance that can land you a lengthy prison sentence if you are convicted of possessing or trafficking it, and yet it is experiencing popularity. If you are facing legal trouble in connection to GHB, contact a Pennsylvania drug crimes defense lawyer.
Dietary Supplement or Date Rape Drug?
Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), like many other psychotropic drugs, is produced naturally in the body. Scientists first figured out how to make synthetic GHB in the 1960s, and soon afterward, it began being marketed as a nutritional supplement. A central nervous system depressant, GHB produces feelings of euphoria and lowered inhibition when taken at small doses, but when the doses are higher, it can lead to serious complications, including loss of consciousness, respiratory depression, and death. GHB was a popular club drug in the 90s, especially associated with the gay club scene. Some clubs in the northeastern U.S. witnessed so many GHB overdoses that they hired private ambulances or unceremoniously carried overdoses victims to back rooms to recover, or not, just to avoid having to get the police involved. Although there are few documented incidents of date rape victims having ingested GHB, the drug gained notoriety as a date rape drug, because some overdose victims were apparently unaware that they had ingested GHB, since it is a clear liquid with no smell. In fact, GHB became a controlled substance in 2000 (Schedule I for trafficking and Schedule II for possession) after two young women who did not know that they had ingested GHB died from GHB overdoses.
In the News
According to a report on the NBC News website, trafficking of GHB is on the rise throughout the United States. Like many other synthetic drugs, it is often sold online, sometimes exchanged for cryptocurrencies. It is sometimes sold as a household cleaner or euphemistically labeled as an “organic reagent,” although it has no known applications for household cleaning. The dangers of GHB bought online are similar to those of many other synthetic drugs, namely lack of transparency about what one is buying or ingesting.
Contact Our Office Today
If you thought you were buying a harmless nutritional supplement online, but now you are being charged with drug possession or worse, a Pittsburgh drug crimes lawyer can help you. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson about your case.
Source:
nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/dangerous-party-drug-has-been-everywhere-even-amazon-n1236481
