Analogs - Chemical Cousins

We actually may continue to see less real GHB, and more and more analog products. Analog product names surfacing so far have included: Blue Nitro, Renewtrient, Revivarant, Remforce, Firewater, Enliven, Serenity, ZEN, Revitalize Plus, Thunder Nectar, Weight Belt Cleaner, SomatoPro, Verve, Jolt, Eclipse, Regenerize, Remedy GH, NRG3, GHRE, GHGold and G3 (being sold in some franchise GNC stores). They may appear in any color, including clear, light amber, red or blue. Anyone driving a vehicle under the influence of these substances presents a potential safety hazard. They are used in rapes in exactly the same way GHB is used. Many of the documented GHB-related deaths involve these products.

Many of them list the main ingredient as 2(3H)-furanone di-hydro and claim that it does not contain GHB or any other illegal substance. This ingredient is simply gamma butyrolactone (GBL), the precursor of GHB, being listed by a chemical synonym. Though a precursor to GHB, it is also an active “analog” of GHB. Several of the products list the primary ingredient as 1,4 butanediol (BD) or its other chemical synonyms, tetramethylene glycol or sucol-B. These products may also surface labeled as degreasing or cleaning products that are in reality being used for human consumption. Or, the bottle (Revitalize Plus, for example) may say simply “proprietary polyhydroxyl complex, a blend of amino acid metabolites.” A third analog has been referenced on the internet. At this point, I’m not aware of any agency identifying it in a product, but I’m also unaware of any agency capable of testing for it!

Mere possession of the precursor/analog GBL or the analog 1,4 butanediol or other analogs is not illegal in and of itself at this time. But, any action that converts the product to “human consumption” (such as sticking a straw in the bottle, pouring it into human consumption type water or vitamin or mouthwash bottles, or labeling it as a sleep aid or nutritional supplement, etc.) makes it an analog. As of January 1, 2000, GBL is a listed precursor chemical federally. Federal legislation to make GHB and its analogs a federal Schedule I drug passed in January 2000 and went into effect on March 13, 2000. An analog is a substance that has or is represented to have or is intended to have effects on the central nervous system which are substantially similar to or greater than, the controlled substance itself. Some state laws require that the analog also have “substantially similar chemical structure,” which can add confusion to the issue.

While the vast majority of GHB products are seen as liquids, they may appear in powder and capsule form. Teens have also been seen with a putty like substance (GHB is hydroscopic and thus hard to keep dry as a powder). Some of the Internet sites promoting these products admit that there is no scientific evidence to back up the safety and beneficial effects claimed by them. Some even note that their product is being manufactured in an FDA approved lab; they further admit that this does not mean the FDA has approved the product itself. Labels notations such as “Does not contain GHB” or “legal (or herbal) GHB” are literally your first clue that the product is an analog of GHB! Most of them also foolishly discourage calling 911 when someone overdoses on these products, a deadly recommendation. When cases identify the Internet as the source of the product and when the physical location of the Internet source can be determined, prosecution may be possible either under state laws or under federal provisions through the Department of Justice, Office of Consumer Litigation.