A landmark study from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney, published on 3 February 2026 in the journal Addiction, reveals a dramatic rise in harms associated with gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). GHB-related deaths increased tenfold from fewer than six in 2012–13 to 52 in 2021–22. Hospitalisations more than tripled, rising from 5.3 to 19.1 cases per 100,000 population over the study period. Treatment episodes for GHB also climbed sharply, from 0.7 to 8.4 per 100,000 people.

Although GHB use remains relatively uncommon compared with substances such as MDMA, cocaine, or methamphetamine, the proportion of Australians aged 14 and over reporting lifetime use grew from 0.9% to 1.2%, while past-year use increased from 0.07% to 0.2%. Associate Professor Amy Peacock, Deputy Director of NDARC and senior author of the study, described these trends as “a cause for alarm,” stressing that without decisive action, the situation will continue to deteriorate.

GHB, also known as “G”, “juice”, or “fantasy”, has a very narrow margin between desired effects and severe danger. Low doses can produce euphoria, heightened libido, and reduced inhibitions, but higher doses quickly lead to respiratory depression, loss of consciousness, and potentially fatal outcomes. Risks escalate with repeated dosing, as the substance accumulates in the body faster than many users realise, and with co-use of alcohol, ketamine, or other depressants. The NDARC research triangulated data from coronial records, hospital admissions, treatment statistics, population surveys, and interviews with people who use illicit drugs to track changes from 2013 to 2023.

The Urgent Need for Prioritised Prevention in GHB Policy

The escalating GHB-related deaths and hospitalisations highlight a critical imbalance in Australia’s drug policy approach. The national strategy rests on three pillars: supply reduction, demand reduction, and harm reduction. Yet the rapid growth in harms suggests that demand reduction—strategies aimed at preventing initiation, reducing overall desire for the drug, and promoting non-use—has not received sufficient priority or resources.

Demand reduction efforts, such as targeted education campaigns, community programmes, and initiatives addressing social and environmental factors that drive use, have proven effective in curbing long-term prevalence and associated harms when properly funded and implemented. For GHB in particular, this requires clear, consistent messaging that emphasises the severe risks and the clear benefits of avoidance, especially among at-risk groups including young adults in social settings and broader populations now showing increased use.

The NDARC findings indicate that GHB use is expanding beyond traditional contexts, such as nightclub scenes or specific communities, to affect a wider demographic. Without robust prevention measures to deter uptake and reduce demand, occasional or experimental use can quickly lead to serious consequences given the drug’s pharmacology.

Permission Modelling and Its Role in Rising Harms

Certain policy framings and public communications can unintentionally create a “permission modelling” effect, where the emphasis on managing risks implicitly suggests that GHB use is tolerable if approached “responsibly”. When messaging focuses heavily on overdose recognition or safer practices without equally strong emphasis on the advantages of complete non-use, it may lower perceived barriers to trying the drug or continuing its use.

This permissive dynamic risks normalising a high-risk behaviour and accelerating demand. The study’s evidence of broadening user profiles and sustained increases in GHB-related deaths and hospitalisations underscores how such mixed signals can undermine prevention goals and allow harms to escalate unchecked.

Rebalancing Drug Policy to Prioritise Prevention

Australia’s drug strategy must recalibrate to place demand reduction and prevention at the forefront. This involves investing in well-designed campaigns that highlight GHB’s dangers without ambiguity, alongside expanded access to effective treatment for dependence. Prevention-first approaches do not reject pragmatism; they represent the most effective way to protect individuals and communities by stopping problematic use before it starts and reducing overall demand.

The NDARC study provides clear evidence that GHB-related deaths and hospitalisations are accelerating. Policymakers must act decisively to strengthen prevention, eliminate conflicting messages, and ensure that demand reduction is not sidelined. With harms continuing to rise, the need to prioritise prevention has rarely been more pressing.

Source: unsw.edu