Update: U Maryland SAE

[KillarneyRose]

The following is a condensed version of an article from this morning's Baltimore Sun regarding the death of Alexander E. Klochkoff, the SAE at UMD...

COLLEGE PARK - The University of Maryland junior found dead on his fraternity house porch Sept. 5 had the drug GHB in his system, police said last night.

A toxicology report from the state medical examiner's office concluded the GHB, an illegal drug sometimes used as a muscle enhancer, contributed to his death.

The drug, whose full name is gamma hydroxybutyrate, was declared unsafe and illegal to manufacture in 1990 and has been associated with more than 45 deaths, according to the USDA. Possession of GHB is not illegal under federal law, though some states have outlawed it.

Despite increased warnings about the drug's risks, it continues to be promoted, especially on the Internet and on college compuses, where some body builders use it for its supposed ability to release a growth hormone and enhance muscle size.

Many reports of adverse reactions to the drug involve individuals who mixed it with alcohol or other drugs, according to studies reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Police were investigaging reports that Klochkoff had been drinking at a local bar the night prior to his death.