Brussels, 28/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - Concerns are increasing in the EU about the use of chemicals used to make the recreational drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid or liquid ecstasy). This statement comes from a new report 'GHB and its precursor GBL: an emerging trend case study' published on 17 March 2008 by the EU drugs agency EMCDDA. GHB surfaced on the nightclub scene in parts of Europe in the 1990s. Use of GHB was placed under international control by the United Nations in March 2001, but not its precursors GBL and 1.4-BD, which, once swallowed, turn into GHB in the body. EMCDDA Director Wolfgang Gotz commented in a press release: 'Drugs can go quickly in and out of fashion. As one substance is suppressed, another can rapidly take its place.' A legal void surrounds GBL, making it impossible to control. Huge amounts of GBL are used in the chemical industry as solvents and colour fixatives. The report explains that some member states (Italy, Latvia and Sweden) have decided to control one or both precursors. The EU and its member states have also taken additional voluntary measures to prevent their recreational use. The report identifies 15 internet chemical suppliers selling GBL, located in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK, all bar three of which provide health warnings. The EMCDDA case study reports that the use of GHB/GBL is generally low in the EU. There can be associated health costs, including date rape (drink spiking). A study carried out in a hospital in Ibiza, Spain, in 2005 showed that 8% of illicit drug-related emergencies were GHB/GNL related. In Amsterdam in 2005, non-fatal hospital emergencies due to GHB/GBL exceeded the number of medical emergencies attributed to the use of hallucogenic mushrooms, ecstasy, amphetamines and LSD. One London hospital reported 158 GHB/GBL related presentations in 2006. EU member states rarely report deaths associated with GHB/GBL. The case study comments 'there is an absence of an accurate and comparable system for recording the number of deaths and non-fatal emergencies related to the use of GHB and its precursors.' (B.C.)