NIDA Club Drug Research Funding To Jump 40%, Education Effort Underway
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is accelerating its research efforts on the risks of "club drugs," including methamphetamine and GHB, through a 40% funding increase. The institute will now dedicate $54 mil. to study the abuse of these substances.
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GHB Analog-Containing Product Demand High, NEJM Researchers Report
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GBL
Senate passes by voice vote the "Samantha Reid and Hillory J. Farias Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 1999" (S 1561) Nov. 19 and returns it to the House; slightly different companion legislation had passed the House 423-1 on Oct. 12 ("The Tan Sheet" Oct. 18, In Brief). Introduced by Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.), the bill would classify gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and gamma butyrolactone (GBL) as controlled substances, would require the HHS secretary to develop a national awareness campaign educating consumers about such products and would establish a special unit at DEA to deal with drugs used for sexual assault. Certain regulatory exemptions are provided for researchers studying GHB for the treatment of narcolepsy. FDA first asked companies manufacturing dietary supplements containing GBL, a GHB precursor, to recall their products in a Jan. 21 "Talk Paper" ("The Tan Sheet" Jan. 25, p. 6)
Pseudoephedrine and PPA
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