Three people, including a teenage girl, were found unconscious on the streets of Geelong and rushed to hospital on Wednesday amid reports of a toxic batch of the drug GHB hitting the city.
Emergency services were first called to Gull St, Norlane at 12.30am where a man was discovered on the footpath. Another man was found on the side of Bacchus Marsh Rd shortly after 4am. Late on Wednesday both men were yet to be identified.
A 17-year-old girl affected by the drug was found at the corner of LaTrobe Tce and Little Malop St about 5.40am.
All three were taken to hospital and the girl has since been released.
Belinda Hibble, Director of Barwon Health’s Emergency Department. Picture: Mike Dugdale
GHB – or gamma-hydroxybutyrate – works as a central nervous system depressant and is often referred to as liquid ecstasy, or a “date rape” drug.
Barwon Health emergency department director Dr Belinda Hibble said the two men were in a critical but stable condition.
“The presentation and behaviours of the patients was not usual for GHB, leading to the assumption that the drug may have been contaminated or mixed with other drugs,” she said.
Victoria Police sergeant Julie-Anne Newman urged anyone with information to make contact with law enforcement.
“Geelong Crime Investigation Unit detectives are currently liaising with Barwon Health in relation to the situation,” she said.
“Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.”
According to data from the Coroner’s Court of Victoria, GHB contributed to 46 deaths between 2017-2021.
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Geelong hospital’s emergency department is involved in a statewide study analysing the blood samples of people coming into emergency departments.
“This study enables rapid detection of potentially harmful drugs in the community, supporting
toxicology and emergency medicine teams to care for these patients effectively, and allowing for public health alerts for the community,” Dr Hibble said.
Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association chief executive Sam Biondi said the harm from overdoses could be minimised by implementing a public drug-checking and alert system.
“As recommended in three coronial inquests, a drug-checking service that allows people to test their substances for any unintended hazardous substances would reduce these harms,” he said.
“Internationally people who have used these types of services have at times opted to discard a substance identified as hazardous.”
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