Pubdate: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 Source: Manila Bulletin (The Philippines) Contact: Muralla corner Recoletos Sts., Intramuros, Manila Fax: 527-7534 Website: http://www.mb.com.ph/frntpage.asp DRUG IN DATE RAPE THREE young men have been found guilty of homicide and are facing 20-year prison terms in one of the first criminal cases in the nation involving GHB, a colorless, odorless recreational drug that has been linked to date rapes. In two separate trials that concluded last week in Detroit, Michigan, the men were convicted of putting the drug in a softdrink consumed a year ago by Samantha Reid, a 15year-old high school freshman from the southern suburbs of Detroit. Samantha's death brought nationwide attention to the spread of GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, which can be made in a kitchen using recipes on the Internet that include ingredients like paint remover, furniture polish remover or drain clearing agents. Two Michigan Republicans, Representative Fred Upton and Senator Spencer Abraham, pushed legislation through Congress this winter putting GHB on the federal list of the most-controlled substances. It joins heroin and LSD as a so-called Schedule 1 drug. President Clinton signed the legislation last month, and it took effect on Monday. The new law, which does not apply to Samantha's case, prescribes prison sentences of up to 20 years for GHB trafficking and life sentences when a death occurs.