RAPE DRUG HORROR
Warnings over chemsex highs
YOUNG women are taking “daterape” drugs as a zero-calorie alternative to binge drinking.
A drugs expert said they are using the cheap substances to avoid putting on weight and getting hangovers.
Dr Rebecca Andrews, the deputy head of toxicology at Imperial College London, gave the warning after the death of teacher Helena Keane, 24, following an overdose of GHB, which was invented as an anaesthetic in the 1960s.
She was found in her room by flatmates after failing to turn up to school.
Tests revealed that she had 518mg of GHB per millilitre of blood – double the level that can cause a coma.
Text messages on her mobile indicated she planned to meet a drug dealer near her home in Tulse Hill, south London, that evening.
Dr Andrews told an inquest in Southwark, south London: “It’s been reported to be used by females on nights out because it has no calories, it doesn’t cause hangover effects and it’s very cheap. A recreational drug on nights out for the euphoria effects.”
Dr Andrews said the small dose can lead users to underestimate its potency.
She added: “The main thing is the fine line between taking a recreational dose and taking something that may cause someone to have toxic effects.” A conclusion of a drug-related death was recorded.