GBL and BZP, 'Legal High' Drugs Banned in Britain This Morning!

GBL and BZP, the 'legal high' drugs were banned in Britain this morning! This is a big step in the battle against new potentially lethal designer drugs that have stayed under the radar from the food and drug officials. The chemical solvent GBL (gamma-butyrolactone). or 'coma in a bottle', is a regular drug of many people who frequent night clubs. BZP (N-benzylpiperazine), which has been illegal in the United States since 2004, is a stimulant which has similar effects to amphetamines. Also added to the list are herbal smoking products containing man-made chemicals such as "Spice", which are commonly found in head shops. The illegal classification of these drugs will hopefully prevent anymore overdoses; drugs like GBL are particularly hard to dose making it very easy for something bad to happen. Typically these drugs are mixed with alcohol which intensifies the high; according to the AFP, "long-standing concerns about the health risks of the drugs, particularly when taken with alcohol, hit the headlines in April after 21-year-old medical student Hester Stewart died after taking GBL".

Hester Stewart's mother campaigned across Great Britain to get a ban on drugs like GBL. Young adults who find themselves taking these drugs are not informed, they are not aware of the potential threats because these drugs were legal - how bad could they be! The banning of GBL and BZP will be the umbrella that all other drugs like these stand under, this will keep the manufacturers of these drugs from altering the formula slightly and skirting the law. Great Britain also put a ban on 15 different anabolic steroids that are popular amongst athletes.

Unfortunately, as we mentioned in a previous post regarding this subject, there are still many countries around the world where drugs like these are not banned and are still being abused regularly. So called 'Legal Highs' are a serious threat to teenagers and young adults, more people will inevitably overdose from GBL which makes education of the utmost importance.

Gamma Butyrolactone or GBL , 'Coma in a Bottle'

New drugs that are harmful to your health are being created everyday. Drugs that are new and have not yet been tested by the government are falling into the hands of people who abuse them; this has caused many people a lot of concern, just because they are legal doesn't make them safe. The ease in which these drugs can be acquired is nothing short than alarming - just a few mouse clicks away. Gamma Butyrolactone or GBL , 'coma in a bottle', is one of the drugs in question that has authorities concerned. GBL is a paint stripper and rust remover and is harmless if used for those tasks, GBL is odorless and has no taste when it is diluted; people who have used the drug have reported that the effects are similar to ecstasy. Drugs like GBL leave very little room for error, if the dosage is not accurately measured then an overdose causing a comma or death will ensue. "'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", the Daily Mail reports.

Mephedrone is another drug that can be easily acquired that produces similar effects to methamphetamines and ecstasy. 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC), according to Darlington Drug and Alcohol Action Team it can cause: nose bleeds, nose burns, hallucinations, blood circulation problems, rashes, anxiety, paranoia fits, and delusions. BBC News reported that "one person who used the drug regularly for 18 months had to be admitted to a psychiatric unit after he started experiencing hallucinations, agitation, excitability and mania. Due to the short history of the use of Mephedrone nothing is known about long‐term effects".

New designer drugs like these are especially dangerous and already have caused numerous deaths. We can only assume that the longer drugs like these can be sold legally and attained easily more deaths will occur. Steps are being taken in several countries to make drugs like these illegal. We can only hope that this happens with haste in our country. Legal does not mean safe!