Placement of Gamma-Butyrolactone in List I of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(34))

Public Law 106-172, signed into law on February 18, 2000, and known as the "Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 1999," amends section 102(34) of the Controlled Substances Act as amended (CSA) by designating gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), the precursor to gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), as a List I chemical. Reflecting this change in stature, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is amending its regulation to reflect the status of GBL as a List I chemical subject to the requirements of the CSA and its regulations. Establishment of a threshold for GBL will be the subject of a separate rulemaking. Therefore, unless and until a threshold is established, any distribution of GBL is a regulated transaction as described by 21 CFR 1300.02(b)(28). All handlers of GBL must comply with the CSA regulatory requirements pertaining to List I chemicals as described in the body of this document.