NEWS : 17.5.09 - Deadly drug on the net - Coma In A Bottle - GBL

kingpin007 · 17-05-2009, 05:32

Quote:

Deadly drug on the net

Liam Houlihan, Laurie Nowell

May 17, 2009 12:00am

AN emerging deadly party drug dubbed "coma in a bottle" is being sold over the internet.

The drug gamma-butyrolactone, also known as GBL, is available online for as little at $120 a litre -- or about $1 a deal when mixed with water or orange juice.

The chemical is harmless when used for its intended purpose as a paint stripper, rust remover, solvent to make plastics or for cleaning metal alloys.

But it is easier to overdose on GBL than heroin and even a slightly wrong concentration can leave users unconscious or dead.

It has a similar effect to gamma-hydroxybutyrate which is also known as GHB or GBH.

They are closely related and GBL is a precursor chemical for GHB. But where GHB is salty, GBL has a strong chemical taste.

A tiny overdose can send the body into spasms. GBL use can lead to symptoms similar to schizophrenia.

The Sunday Herald Sun found the drug selling internationally from a Poland-based website for $61 for 250ml, $83 for 500ml or $120 for a litre.

Australian Federal Police arrested several people for importing the substance in bulk for a non-sanctioned use.

A sample of 250ml of the drug will produce about 60 deals. Melbourne dance party figures said the new drug had recently come to their attention.

"We've been hearing about this thing in the UK and now it has started to appear here," one party organiser said.

Several deaths and many more overdoses have been reported in the UK, where it has become the "new" party drug because it is cheap and legally obtainable.

Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia said many users would assume they were taking GHB when it was actually GBL.

"The vast majority of the drug on the street would be GBL," director Paul Dillon said.

"It's easier to come by. You don't have to change it to GHB.

"When we first started seeing GBL replace GHB on the streets, because it takes longer people weren't having the effects as fast.

"So they took more and we would see more overdoses as a result."

A health information video showing the effects of GBL has been posted on YouTube.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...-24331,00.html

kingpin007 · 17-05-2009, 05:35

Here is a better article from uk -->

Quote:

Coma in a bottle: GBL, the 50p party drug which is easier to obtain than heroin... and is legal

By Paul Bracchi
Last updated at 7:23 PM on 05th May 2009

The package arrived by express delivery just hours after we had placed our order on the internet. Inside was a small container of a substance called gamma-butyrolactone.

On the club scene it is known simply as GBL. Or, more chillingly, 'coma in a bottle'.

The chemical is perfectly harmless if used for the purpose for which it was originally intended - as a paint stripper and rust remover for garages or industrial cleaning firms.

But the company that supplied us had very different customers in mind; hence the inclusion of a pipette.

GLB traders Guy Brewer (left) and Simon Tune insist late medical student Hester Stewart was not on their list of customers

The pipette is used to measure 'shots' of GBL. A 'shot' is a term normally associated with alcohol.

Or, in these circumstances, GBL mixed with water or orange juice, then drunk - just as you might drink vodka.

GBL is virtually tasteless and odourless when diluted, but produces a high not dissimilar to ecstasy.

That's the upside, if you like, of taking GBL. The downside: that it is easier to overdose on GBL than heroin. Get the concentration even slightly wrong and you can end up unconscious or dead.

Either way, your body will go into violent spasms. 'It's as if every muscle in the body is trying to work against each other,' said a young woman who has experienced and witnessed the side-effects of GBL.

'Even the muscles in the face move independently, so it looks as if your face is trying to rip itself apart.'

It would be difficult to imagine a more graphic or harrowing account of the dangers posed by GBL.

Yet it has become one of the new 'party drugs' in Britain because it is legal and cheap.

The small bottle of GBL we bought contained enough for 60 shots and cost £23.50, which works out at 50p each.

Behind websites that sell such drugs is a horrifying and largely untold story. GBL, doctors warn, is killing young people up and down the country. But because traces of GBL remain in the body for only up to 12 hours after consumption, the true number of fatalities is unknown.

Dr Sean Cummings, who runs a private clinic in Harley Street, London, specialising in patients with drugs problems, believes GBL is claiming the lives of about six people a year. Scores more end up in casualty every weekend.

The latest woman to become a tragic statistic is Hester Stewart, 21, an outstanding medical student at Sussex University - until she was found dead at a house in Brighton on Sunday morning after a party. Next to her body, police found a bottle of GBL.

GBL is banned in many countries, but not in Britain, despite a Home Office pledge to outlaw the substance eight months ago.

Had the Government acted on its promise, Hester Stewart might still be alive. This is only part of the scandal exposed by her death.

The trade in GBL is now big business. The company we bought the drug from is run from a smart detached house in Eastbourne's exclusive Sovereign Harbour development (just 20 miles along the coast from where Hester Stewart died) by Simon Tune, 40, and Guy Brewer, 34.

'We care about our customers,' insisted Mr Tune. 'Their safety is important to us. Should people choose to ignore the warnings and use the product to get a legal high, to ensure their safety, we include free measuring pipettes to enable doses to be measured accurately and prevent accidental overdosing.'

Well, how very responsible. Many might think it's the equivalent of giving heroin addicts a fix and a syringe - and that Tune and Brewer are no more than legal drug dealers.
They insist Hester Stewart was not on their list of customers.

But that does not mean she was not given it by someone who did obtain GBL from them. They are, after all, among the biggest - if not the biggest - suppliers of GBL for personal use in Britain.

A number of their clients, we have learned, have ended up in hospital - pipette or no pipette.

GBL is closely related to the now notorious drug GHB. The latter was banned in 2003 because it was being used as a date rape drug, so many clubbers began experimenting with the former.

Unscrupulous individuals like Tune and Brewer, who buy GBL in bulk from
China, stepped in to meet the demand. They sell it on at least four websites.

'I think the recession is helping us because it is a cheap alternative to alcohol,' explained Simon Tune, as if he were referring to a harmless product - not a chemical linked to the death of a young woman just a few days ago.

Their company had a turnover for the year ending June 30, 2008, of more than £800,000 and made a profit after tax of almost £300,000.

The two directors paid themselves a salary of £35,000 each and shared a dividend of £92,000.

The previous year, dividends totalled almost £400,000. Parked on the drive of their home this week were a BMW 135i and a Mini Cooper.

All from peddling what Dr Cummings describes as 'a very dangerous drug'.

Poisonings

'On the clubbing scene, I would say that GBL poisonings are a daily occurrence,' he said.

Dr Cummings believes that up to 20 people may have already died, including one of his patients and the partner of a patient.

GBL can damage your kidneys, liver and the lining of your stomach - it's supposed to be used as a paint stripper, remember - and can lead to psychosis.

Among the deaths that have also been linked with GBL is that of Sarah O'Dowd, aged 24. She was found drowned in the bath by her husband at their home in Holt Park, Leeds, in October 2007.

Miss O'Dowd, a university graduate, is believed to have fallen asleep after taking a combination of GBL and ketamine, a sedative popular with clubbers.

Her mother Anne, a nurse, who lives in Nottingham, is still too upset to talk about the tragedy.

But a relative said: 'You never recover from something like that. Her mother will never forget the police turning up to tell her Sarah had died. She didn't believe it at first. It has devastated our family and we'll never be the same again.

'Anne had seen Sarah just a few weeks before she had died. It was her birthday and we all went out to celebrate.'

The coroner recorded an open verdict. Cause of death: drowning coupled with intoxication.

Addiction

Student Katherine King became addicted to GBL last year. 'I shared a flat in London and my friends ordered it over the internet and it arrived the next day in a small package. It was really cheap, convenient and got them high.

'I was lonely and bored and didn't need much prompting to have a go. I started using it at weekends and the buzz was amazing. Then I began to take it after a bad day at work.

'My usual personality began to disappear and I was permanently in a bad mood. The only thing that seemed to help was GBL.

'Unbelievably, I still hadn't realised I was addicted until I experienced a panic attack at work. I hadn't taken a dose for five hours and my system simply couldn't cope without GBL.

'I couldn't speak, my mouth was dry, I was sweating and my eyes filled with tears. I couldn't stop shaking. I had heart palpitations and liver pains because of the toxins. I was terrified.'

Eventually, Katherine went to her GP, who prescribed anti-depressants. She moved away from London and the party scene, and has been clean for eight weeks.

'I am sleeping properly again and have put on weight. I have enrolled on a university course and am determined never to go back to those dreadful days. It nearly destroyed me. It terrifies me how easily it's available.'

So where do you think Katherine obtained her supply of GBL? It was from another website that's part of the portfolio of sites run by Simon Tune and Guy Brewer.

She is not the only one to have got hooked on GBL after shopping on the website. Another is a 31-year- old patient at Dr Cummings's clinic.

Last year the man, who wanted to remain anonymous, spent £4,000 on GBL even after it had almost cost him his life. His story reveals how easy it is to overdose on GBL.

'Two years ago I was at a festival and I took a swig from the bottle in my back pocket,' he said.

'It was filled with GBL, but I forgot and thought it was water, because it looks the same. Then I collapsed. It felt like someone had kicked me in the back of the legs.

'The next thing I remember was waking up in hospital. My heart had stopped twice, but they revived me.

The side effects

'I had three broken ribs caused by the force of the electric pumps used to deliver the cardiac massage. But even though I nearly died, I was taking it again the next weekend.'

He is now on three types of medication to beat his cravings and combat withdrawal symptoms.

One is an anti-psychotic drug, because people being weaned off GBL can develop symptoms similar to schizophrenia.

A health information video showing the effects of GBL has now been posted on YouTube.

A semi-naked youth is lying on a bed in a 'deep sleep'. His body is writhing and twitching uncontrollably.

It is unclear whether the youngster is an actor or a real victim, but the scene - and the message that flashes across the screen - is deeply disturbing.

'This innocent GBL user simply fell asleep,' it says. 'But as you can see, his body did not. Your pulse is low; heart rate is lowered; respirations are reduced; choke reflex is non-existent; and you have as much response to stimuli as a dead body.'

Some people, of course, like Hester Stewart, never wake up.

So why has GBL still not been banned? Because it has a legal use as an industrial solvent, officials are said to have found problems in framing suitable legislation when it comes to 'recreational use'.

The argument sounds plausible until you learn that it is illegal in the U.S., Canada and Sweden, where GBL has been linked to a string of deaths.

Hester's mother Maryon Stewart is a nutritionist and author who has written for the Daily Mail.

Ban the party drug campaign

Her father, Dr Alan Stewart, is a nutritional physician. They are now campaigning to get GBL made illegal.

In a statement, Mrs Stewart said: 'My heart is bleeding for the loss of my dear, beautiful, bright, intelligent daughter and I am too choked to speak.

'This is further compounded by having to watch Hester's dad and her sister and brothers, grandparents, aunts and cousins cope with their unbearable grief.

'We do, however, want the world to know that we intend to campaign as a family to get this lethal substance banned in the UK. If the Home Office had followed advice, our daughter would still be alive and we would not now be living in Hell.'

Mrs Stewart continued: 'One of our darling Hester's goals was to help save lives in her work as a doctor in her future career. She has now been denied that opportunity.

'But as her mother and best friend, I have decided to help Hester still achieve her goals even though she has passed away, and I know she would want me to do so.

'We are starting the campaign by writing to the Home Secretary to request an urgent inquiry into why this lethal substance, GBL, was not banned last year as recommended.'

Legally, it seems, no one is responsible for the death of Hester Stewart. Morally, however, it's a different matter.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...in--legal.html

kingpin007 · 17-05-2009, 05:47

I imagine with the Mdxx drought at the moment that more people will turn to this shit and we have alot of od's and deaths ..

hyroller · 17-05-2009, 06:26

Yeah, a friend of mine told me about importing G off the net a little while back...

If I liked it enough, I probably would have got her to get some for me.

Unlike most, I know how and where to draw the line with that sort of substance. but it just doesn't appeal to me all that much... not since I quit the shards 6months back, at least

Funny how they ignore completely the long-term physical side-effects of taking G, which include your stomach's inability to digest food any more. Sensationalist? The British press, hardly

baysieguy1 · 17-05-2009, 06:43

Was in the UK a couple of weeks ago and saw that article in the paper, couldn't believe that it was being sold online as a party drug. If I understand it right, GBL metabolises within the body to GHB.

Very surprised with the UK, they have Cannabis as a Class A drug and they leave this stuff legalised, who would have thunk?

Sustanon · 17-05-2009, 06:50

Get ur fukn facts right u stupid journilist!!

1. GBL is not new.
2. The taste is foul like petrol
3. The smell is very bad too

The effects are exactly like alcohol. If anyone consumes GBL which is a stain remover solvent then they deserve to die. Cant beleive how much the media is going on about it. Its sooooo fukn funny when they mention addiction lol Ive have done it many times as experimentation where its legal and i cant possibly say its addicting. Its one of the shittest drugs ive tried after piperazines. Everyone around here thinks its cool cos its illegal and called liquid exstasy and etc whereas its got nothing to do with it. All my mates give me a weird look when i tell them this. Why are so many people dumb?

smiggle · 17-05-2009, 11:54

OMG so they are just clicking onto this now... They have got to be so fucking dumb, this shit has been going on for many many years. All you have to do is a search in google and suppliers will pop up, it's a different story getting it past customs though.

~~Heisenberg~~ · 17-05-2009, 19:06

Way to make people order it. Good fucking one.
Sustanon: leave your hate out of here. No one deserves to die. GBL is fine in the body when mixed with a drink. But all GHB related substances can cause a form of psychosis called rebound when abused 24/7 which is not hard to get stuck into.

This is going to ruin it for people who actually use it for as intended, its a great coin cleaner for those who collect coins from around he globe old and new and has many uses as its a strong solvent. At least they didn't say it was odorless and tasteless and is used for raping babies, but this is as dumb as the RC thing in 2002 on the news and showing the .coms where you can use mummies visa to order it!

Crankinit · 17-05-2009, 20:04

6 deaths a year? How many people die a year from alcohol abuse? More than 6, that's for sure.

Someone correct me on this one if I'm wrong, since it's not a drug I know much about, but if you diluted it with other drinks similar to alcohol, wouldn't the issues with the dose/response curve and ODing be no more of an issue than they are with booze? I didn't think there was anything inherently dangerous about GHB/GBL beyond the fact that you're taking a strong CNS depressant in doses that are difficult to measure because they're so low.

Just seems kind of stupid. Anything to spark a little old fashioned moral panic though.

You'd be a fucking moron to order this stuff in Australia anyway, with the media frenzy surrounding GHB and the club scene. RC's are one thing, but that's just asking for trouble.

Oh, and it never ceases to amuse me how the media arbitrarily pull random names for drugs out of their arse just to make them sound scary or dangerous, 'coma in a bottle' indeed.

MrIbis · 18-05-2009, 00:18

If any of you guys actually realize how long this has been going on, GBL is piss easy to obtain - and our customs groups hae already cracked down on it big time - i've seen about 5 people i know be raided by AFP and charged with importation, trafficking, possession of a commericial quantity etc.

Stupid media hype like this will only cause people to rally and make the problem far worse - the anti g battle has pretty much lost in the nightclub scene - and people can take the drug properly. In all my days of taking g and seeing people blowout and take amounts that should kill you - none have died - including a 14yo girl who stole a rather large bottle full from someones car and decided to drink about 50ml in one swig.

Also, mixed with alcohol, the alcohol metabolizes first, making the g take far longer to come on - this causes people to take more, and more, and more until something happens - little do they know they're about to be hit by a 10ml dose.

~~Heisenberg~~ · 18-05-2009, 00:50

As far as I know there hasn't been a G related death since Belinda Davies or whoever at the car park who was out of it and drank from a bottle containing 1,4b.
Yeah I know water tastes a bit weird on pills, but what the hell. If you drink something that tastes like rubber mixed with expired honey and motor oil from a water bottle don't you normally spit it out first sip.

Before that there was a bunch of deaths in the mid 90s and upto 2001-2002. About 12 I believe. the stats are online somewhere. If they trained nurses, doctors and paramedics how to deal with G outs properly you would have maybe 1 person needing medical attention at a hospital, not 20 or 30 like whats been happening. Most doctors and nurses think "GBH" or "Fantasy" is an amphetamine. Ridiculous.

Coolio · 18-05-2009, 01:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sustanon

The effects are exactly like alcohol. If anyone consumes GBL which is a stain remover solvent then they deserve to die. Cant beleive how much the media is going on about it. Its sooooo fukn funny when they mention addiction lol Ive have done it many times as experimentation where its legal and i cant possibly say its addicting. Its one of the shittest drugs ive tried after piperazines. Everyone around here thinks its cool cos its illegal and called liquid exstasy and etc whereas its got nothing to do with it. All my mates give me a weird look when i tell them this. Why are so many people dumb?

Your experiences very greatly from the norm. It's nothing like ethanol - ethanol is nothing but side effects for a mild high. GBL/GHB are more akin to combining cocaine and barbiturates, with no side effects. It's also way more addictive than ethanol or heroin.

fortehlulz · 18-05-2009, 01:47

Gotta love the Herald Sun. I knew a young bloke a few years back who only got onto one of those 'web mob' sites because the Herald Sun ran an article on it.

A couple of years back, I had the displeasure of reading the HS over my fish and chips (its not a newspaper... its low grade toilet paper) and saw an article, including the website name, talking about fake ids bought online. The mind boggles.

hyroller · 18-05-2009, 03:04

It's not like taking cocaine

You're out of your mind. Don't know about anyone else here, but coke has never worked to shut my CNS down - in fact, the reverse, it gets me going, right up and about, not squirming about in my chair with the room spinning around me.

Sustanon · 18-05-2009, 03:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolio

Your experiences very greatly from the norm. It's nothing like ethanol - ethanol is nothing but side effects for a mild high. GBL/GHB are more akin to combining cocaine and barbiturates, with no side effects. It's also way more addictive than ethanol or heroin.

What are u talkin about? Have u even had pure coke? This is got to be one of the funniest threads ive seen. The 2 are totaly different. I used to buy GBL in 2 Liter bottles and was experimenting. Turned in into GHB too. Its the same as being drunk with a bit of euphoria added. Nothin more. If u really have had GBL then ud know what thats like too. Addictive than Heroin? Are u for real?? lol

Coolio · 18-05-2009, 04:43

I had access to it once, was on it 24/7 for over 30 days. Woke up at least once a night from dopamine rebounds, always had to redose in the middle of the night to pass back out.

I find it every bit as habit-forming and compulsive as things like nicotine and cocaine, but way more recreational than those two shitty drugs.

Jakeperson · 18-05-2009, 05:53

Maybe that's just an opinion.

Smoifer · 18-05-2009, 08:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sustanon

Get ur fukn facts right u stupid journilist!!

1. GBL is not new.
2. The taste is foul like petrol
3. The smell is very bad too

The effects are exactly like alcohol. If anyone consumes GBL which is a stain remover solvent then they deserve to die. Cant beleive how much the media is going on about it. Its sooooo fukn funny when they mention addiction lol Ive have done it many times as experimentation where its legal and i cant possibly say its addicting. Its one of the shittest drugs ive tried after piperazines. Everyone around here thinks its cool cos its illegal and called liquid exstasy and etc whereas its got nothing to do with it. All my mates give me a weird look when i tell them this. Why are so many people dumb?

Anyone who uses it deserves to die? Then you go on to brag about how you used to be a juice box where it was legal?

How the fuck do you justify that statement? Seriously that's some messed up fucking logic, what cos you don't like it anymore any one that does should die? Pull your head in.

As for the addictiveness, GHB/GBL can be extremely addictive. Go to The Dark Side and read a couple of the threads or better yet do some research before bagging a drug.

~~tadfish~~ · 18-05-2009, 11:58

Ah fuck the media i would like to kill some of them.
fuck off and let us blow out.
This saddens and angers me.

~~tadfish~~ · 18-05-2009, 12:02

Quote:

That's the upside, if you like, of taking GBL. The downside: that it is easier to overdose on GBL than heroin. Get the concentration even slightly wrong and you can end up unconscious or dead.

What a fuckin load of shit! herion purity is not known but GBL is!!!!
fuckin media propaganda i wish i had a news station i would lvoe to blast current affairs and other media lies

Quote:

Well, how very responsible. Many might think it's the equivalent of giving heroin addicts a fix and a syringe - and that Tune and Brewer are no more than legal drug dealers.
They insist Hester Stewart was not on their list of customers.

I don't see any thing wrong with this

Quote:

'I think the recession is helping us because it is a cheap alternative to alcohol,' explained Simon Tune, as if he were referring to a harmless product - not a chemical linked to the death of a young woman just a few days ago.

Alcohol kills more people than any other drug combined.

Quote:

GBL can damage your kidneys, liver and the lining of your stomach - it's supposed to be used as a paint stripper, remember - and can lead to psychosis.

funny that i though that it formed GHB in stomach and GHB was good for ya liver...? wtf

Quote:

Miss O'Dowd, a university graduate, is believed to have fallen asleep after taking a combination of GBL and ketamine, a sedative popular with clubbers.

umm taking K with G idiot. kinda think they should have spent more time at uni to get some common sense.

Quote:

'It was filled with GBL, but I forgot and thought it was water, because it looks the same. Then I collapsed. It felt like someone had kicked me in the back of the legs.

Really? didn't u taste the chemical taste? what a load of shit this is the same shit we heard about GHB it tastes salty. I reckon he deserved to die. Kull the idiots so siociety goes forward. SHame idiots live. Like me

I love the UK the let drug remain legal for ages. Man i wish i was there when k was legal and all those RC's. God bless the queen. Fuck the US and those band wagon jump on banners.

Fuckin G is such a good feeling. Sorry some people can't use a drug which u need to respect like the ocean, big waves, powerful cars etc.
Its like H and opiates u got to use them wisely. Lame people shoot down a drug cause they don't have ummm lets say the brains or skills to use. But will pop a pill with any thing in there.

~~tadfish~~ · 18-05-2009, 12:32

It is addicting trust me i know GBL addicts and i have seen the side effects nothing less than madness.

~~tadfish~~ · 18-05-2009, 12:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heisenberg

Way to make people order it. Good fucking one.
Sustanon: leave your hate out of here. No one deserves to die. GBL is fine in the body when mixed with a drink. But all GHB related substances can cause a form of psychosis called rebound when abused 24/7 which is not hard to get stuck into.

This is going to ruin it for people who actually use it for as intended, its a great coin cleaner for those who collect coins from around he globe old and new and has many uses as its a strong solvent. At least they didn't say it was odorless and tasteless and is used for raping babies, but this is as dumb as the RC thing in 2002 on the news and showing the .coms where you can use mummies visa to order it!

word

drug_mentor · 18-05-2009, 12:53

This shit is so stupid. I bet there are less hospitalizations in the UK from GBL use than there are here from street GHB/GBL/1,4B or whatever. Don't they ever think that the legal GBL has probably completely destroyed any market for illegal GHB and atleast it is of known purity and therefore a lot safer.

LOL at "coma in a bottle", these journo's have no idea, constantly making up these bullshit slang names just to help illustrate the purpose of their shitty, shitty articles. I bet if it weren't for articles like this, half the people currently importing GBL wouldn't even know about it.

Crankinit · 18-05-2009, 14:23

Yeah I wonder how many kids are gonna read this article then go google 'order gbl' 10 minutes later? Stupid crap. But who cares about the actual safety issues, as long as you can get a few extra readers and stir some moral panic up. 'THEY'RE ORDERING COMA IN A BOTTLE ON THE INTERWEBS, WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?'

Sustanon · 18-05-2009, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smoifer

Anyone who uses it deserves to die? Then you go on to brag about how you used to be a juice box where it was legal?

How the fuck do you justify that statement? Seriously that's some messed up fucking logic, what cos you don't like it anymore any one that does should die? Pull your head in.

As for the addictiveness, GHB/GBL can be extremely addictive. Go to The Dark Side and read a couple of the threads or better yet do some research before bagging a drug.

I was fukn 17. I didnt know what i was doing. All i wanted to do is get high like most kids. I like the feeling it gave me but its way to dangerous to play with and if u knew it, its a bloody graffiti remover. Its not meant for consumption.

Think u need to have more education. Addictive? More than H? Yeah thats why there are sooo many GBL/GHB junkies sitting in the back allyway.

GBL tastes like petrol. GHB in powder or liquid is hydroscopic and pretty salty.

Geeez i hate noobs who dont know what they talk about. I seriously would try stopping anyone takin that shit because i have seen it with my own eyes what happens. Ur not the fucking one who carried his mate out from a club lying on my palms not breathing!!