Oswestry death warning over GHB drug

IT IS only a matter of time before someone in Oswestry dies because of the town's problem with the drug GHB, a police officer warned today.

The town has one of the worst problems in Britain over the number of people using the now outlawed drug. Police and other agencies have launched a joint campaign to crack down on the use of the drug.

They also want to educate people about the dangers of GHB.

Sergeant Andy Pugh said police were worried about the wide use of the drug.

"It is only a matter of time before there is a fatality," he said.

He told a local joint committee in Oswestry that although it was only a class C drug, it has recently been proved that GHB was addictive.

"We have a real problem with users in Oswestry. It is not in the villages, it is not in nearby towns.

"We have quite a hard core group that are addicted to it in Oswestry. We are arresting the dealers and the users and there is a great deal of education now going on in the town."

Mr Pugh said mixing the drug with alcohol brought with it serious side effects for the users.

Community regeneration officer for Oswestry, Nicki Young, said the Safer Stronger Communities Partnership had responded to the use of GHB and GBL in the area.

She said a key element of the work was to ensure people were aware of the risks involved.

"Only a small amount too much and it will become a fatal overdose," she said.

She added that the substances had also been linked to drug-related sexual assaults across the county.

The drug is believed to be being used by people in their 20s and 30s in the town.