NAN A. S. HAYWORTH: “I commend and thank my colleague, Congressman Fred Upton, for introducing H.R. 2130, the Hillory J. Farias and Samantha…”

“I commend and thank my colleague, Congressman Fred Upton, for introducing H.R. 2130, the Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act. On December 17, 1999, Tom Gugliotta, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, suffered a seizure and was nearly killed after taking a form of furanone di-hydron, a generic chemical name for gamma butyrolactone (GBL). In the United States, products containing GBL have been marketed as dietary supplements and the sale of GBL is not regulated in most states. GBL is the primary precursor used in the production of gamma-hydroxybutric acid (GHB). GHB has predominantly been abused by America's youth to produce euphoric and hallucinatory states, and for its alleged role as a growth hormone releasing agent to stimulate muscle. Additionally, GHB has been used to assist in the commission of sexual assaults. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has documented over 5,700 overdoses and law enforcement encounters with GHB and 58 GHB-related deaths. GBL, once absorbed orally, is rapidly converted into GHB in the body and produces the same profile of physiological and behavioral effects as GHB. In 1999, the FDA issued several warnings about products that contain GBL and asked manufacturers to voluntarily recall all products. Unfortunately, products containing GBL remain available for sale over the Internet.”