Estonian parlt puts GHB precursors on list of banned substances

Photo: Tairo Lutter / SL Õhtuleht

The Estonian parliament endorsed amendments to the Act on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Precursors Thereof to put on the list of narcotic and psychotropic substances the precursors of the narcotic substance gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).

The bill was carried in the 101-seat chamber with 81 votes to nil and no abstentions.

The amendment bans the handling of the substances gamma-butyrolactone or GBL and 1.4-butanediol (1.4-BD) posing a potential health hazard with the purpose of causing narcotic intoxication in a person. Administered orally, these substances are transformed into GHB in the body within a minute.

The amendment was necessary because so far the use of GHB, dubbed "liquid ecstasy" or the "rape drug," was illegal under law but no legal provision prohibited the use of GBL. The restriction could not be imposed immediately because many cleaning substances and construction materials contain GBL.

Import of the said substances is supervised in Estonia by the Tax and Customs Board. Parties that wish to import the substances must prove that the substance is going to be used for a legitimate purpose, such as in chemical of dye industry.