What is GHB: Why is the drug being reclassified?

The drug is being reclassified after a review led by home secretary, Priti Patel

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

GHB will become a class B drug after the home secretary Priti Patel said it had been used in “truly sickening crimes” such as those of serial rapist Reynhard Sinaga who was jailed for a minimum of 30 years in January 2020.

Currently a Class C drug, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) has been the subject of a review by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Priti Patel said: “GHB and related substances have been used to commit some truly sickening crimes, including murder, sexual assault and robbery.

“I will do everything in my power to protect people from harm, which is why I am tightening restrictions around these dangerous substances.

Sinaga lured victims back to his flat, offering a place to stay, and is then thought to have laced alcoholic drinks with the drug, GHB, in order to incapacitate them.

As a result of the central role the drug played in the trial, the home secretary, Patel called for an urgent review into more stringent controls.

What is GHB?

GHB (meaning gammahydroxybutrate) is a psychoactive drug that can be used as a medical treatment for narcolepsy, and when first developed in the 1960s, was used as an anaesthetic.

Today GHB, also known as ‘liquid ecstasy’, is used recreationally as a party drug, or during sex, particularly by gay men in the ‘chemsex scene’.

Professor Adam Winstock, founder of the Global Drug Survey writes in a 2020 report: “It’s big on the chemsex scene in many cities.”

What does GHB look like?

According to UK drug advisory service, Frank, GHB is normally sold as a colourless and odourless liquid, which has almost no smell and a soapy or salty taste.

GHB can be consumed orally, using a pipette or syringe to add a small, measured, amount (between 0.5ml and 1.5ml) of the clear liquid to a soft drink.

Injecting GHB is rare, and snorting is only possible with GHB powder, which again is much more uncommon than consuming via a drink.

What effect does GHB have and is it dangerous?

GHB produces similar effects to alcohol, according to Frank. This includes feelings of euphoria, drowsiness, intense relaxedness and feeling turned on.

Similarly to ecstasy, it can also reduce inhibitions leading people to have more intense sexual experiences.

But it only requires a small amount to overdose or ‘go under’. Frank says if users don’t measure the dosage they are “likely to overdose and fall unconscious”.

The NHS says “less than one milimitre” can be the difference between a high and becoming unresponsive.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 27 deaths, involving GHB, in England and Wales, in 2018 alone.

Why is it used in cases of sexual assault?

GHB is often referred to as a ‘date rape drug’ because of the frequency with which it is used during cases of sexual assault.

It was also used in the case of serial killer Stephen Port, who was given a life sentence in 2016 for poisoning four men with lethal doses.

Of 2,700 gay and bisexual men who have used G that responded to a survey by BuzzfeedNews and Channel 4 Dispatches last year, 28 per cent said they had been assaulted as a result.

The reason why it is used is because GHB is colourless, odourless, and the flavour can be masked by mixing into another drink.

Is GHB currently illegal?

GHB has been classified as a Class C drug since 2003 under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971). This means it is against the law to possess it or sell it for human ingestion.

The family of Eric Michels, who was murdered with an overdose of GHB in 2018 by Gerald Matovu, 25, have campaigned for GHB to be reclassified as Class A, rather than Class C.

Being reclassified as Class B means people could get up to five years in prison for possession.