UK - Liquid may contain date-rape drug GHB

[chillinwill]

Investigators are probing whether Mission Services clients who fell ill after drinking a mysterious clear liquid may have consumed gamma hydroxybutyric acid

Two men remain in a London hospital after they were among four people who fell violently ill after drinking a clear, unknown liquid.

Meanwhile, several clients at the Mission Services building on York St., where three victims were found, said they consumed the date-rape drug GHB.

Police said the condition of a 50-year-old man has been upgraded to "good" while a 34-year-old man remains in "fair" condition.

A 50-year-old woman, earlier listed in critical condition, was released from hospital yesterday and a 31-year-old man was treated and released after consuming the liquid.

Police have yet to determine what was in the mysterious liquid, which produces several symptoms including vomiting, hallucinating, convulsing and gives users an appearance "like severe intoxication."


However, several people outside the shelter that houses many of the city's street people, including many with mental health issues, said the date-rape drug GHB was ingested.

"I tried to tell the cops, but they didn't want to talk to me," said one man, as an ambulance left with another client suffering an unrelated illness.

"There's so much stuff going on around here right now, it's crazy," said another man.

Several other people expressed the same concern GHB was in the clear liquid the people drank.

According to the website of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, GHB -- gamma hydroxybutyric acid -- causes several of the symptoms mentioned by police and comes in a clear, odourless form.

Two other so-called date-rape drugs, Rohypnol and Ketamine, also cause similar symptoms.

A police spokesperson said tests are being done to determine what was in the liquid and confirmed GHB is one of the substances being explored.

The two 50-year-old victims, a man and woman, were picked up by ambulance in the area of Mission Services Wednesday.

A third person, the 31-year-old man, was also picked up Wednesday around 3 p.m. near the corner of Adelaide and King streets. He refused to co-operate with police.

On Thursday, a 34-year-old victim, a man, was also picked up at the Mission Services property.

There've been no other similar cases, said police, concerned others might consume the drink.

Witnesses say those who fell ill are "street people" and regular clients at Mission Services. All the victims have a history of substance abuse, particularly alcohol, the witnesses said.

More than two years ago, an Erieau resident died and three others were hospitalized after drinking a punch laced with methanol because it had been mixed in a plastic jug that previously contained windshield washer fluid.

The punch was served at private parties Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 2006.

By JOE BELANGER
July 25, 2009
London Free Press
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Loc...56161-sun.html