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Cosmo launches petition to ban date-rape drug GBL |
~ Dannii Minogue, Ulrika Jonsson and Ricky Hatton amongst celebrities to pledge their support ~
13th October 2008 – Cosmopolitan was shocked to discover that it is still legal to buy GBL (Gamma-Butyrolactone), a chemical now being used to enable drug-rape attacks, in the UK. This is despite hundreds of women a year thought to be subject to drug-facilitated rapes and sexual abuse and the US banning the drug in 2000.
Cosmopolitan wants the government to make banning the substance a top priority and has launched a petition on www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/daterapepetition which it will present to the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith.
Dannii Minogue, Ulrika Jonsson and Ricky Hatton are amongst the celebrities who have already pledged their support and are urging women across the country to do the same. Top London nightclub Fabric and celebrity-haunt Chinawhite are also backing the campaign.
Whilst illegal Class C drugs, like GHB, Ketamine and Rohypnol, are traditionally used to sedate victims, GBL is the latest drug being used in drug-rape offences. Despite scientists warning of it playing a significant part in drink-spiking and drug-related sexual abuse, and it being implicated in many deaths, purchasing GBL in the UK is still perfectly legal.
Cosmopolitan went undercover to investigate just how easy it is to get hold of the drug. We were staggered at the sheer number of suppliers in the UK and the EU offering to post the chemical directly to our door, with little regard to who we were or why we needed such large quantities.
Within hours of picking up the phone, 250ml of this devastating drug had been delivered into our hands - enough to drug hundreds of women. This wasn’t a one-off. One private seller on freeads.co.uk even offered us a litre for £60 without even speaking to us.
Although the Home Office is planning to bring in laws to ban GBL, it will first consult with the chemical industry for its views on how it can safely regulate legitimate GBL use. Cosmopolitan wants the government to understand the seriousness of the issue and is urgently pushing for the drug to be outlawed.
“Our investigation revealed just how easy it is to purchase this lethal drug and the devastating effects it can have,” said Louise Court, Editor of Cosmopolitan. “Despite the government considering tighter controls over the use of GBL, we want them to act now and encourage women to support our campaign by signing our petition at www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/daterapepetition.”
“We’re fully behind Cosmopolitan’s campaign,” said Graham Rhodes, press officer, at The Roofie Foundation, the drug rape awareness group. “It’s time for the government to start taking the risks of GBL seriously. Not only does the government need to criminalise the drug, it needs to teach people how to recognise it and acknowledge the devastating effects on its victims.”
The full investigation appears in the November issue of Cosmopolitan. Here, readers can find advice on what to do if they think they have been drugged and how to remain extra vigilant. ~ Ends ~
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