GHB is illegal to possess or sell without a prescription in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, and it is controlled under the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. The rules for GBL and 1,4-butanediol, which turn into GHB in the body, differ more per country. The table shows the status as checked on 12 October 2026.
| Country | GHB | GBL and 1,4-butanediol | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Opium Act, list I, since 9 May 2012 | not on the Opium Act lists; trade aimed at making GHB is punishable | Opiumwet |
| United Kingdom | Class B since 13 April 2022 | Class B since 13 April 2022; industrial use exempt | SI 2022/322 |
| Germany | BtMG Annex III | Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe-Gesetz since 12 April 2026 | NpSG |
| United States | Schedule I | GBL: List I chemical | 21 CFR 1308.11 |
| International | Schedule II, 1971 Convention | not scheduled | INCB Green List |
This page describes the law and is no legal advice. Laws change; check the current text where you are.
The Netherlands
GHB (4-hydroxybutyric acid) is on list I of the Opium Act, the list that Dutch policy calls hard drugs. It moved there from list II by a decree of 24 April 2012, published on 8 May 2012 and in force from the next day, 9 May 2012 (Stb. 2012, 201). We checked the version of the Opium Act in force from 17 September 2026. Trimbos summarises the result: production, possession and trade are punishable (DRUGSinfo, GHB and the law).
Possession of a list I substance can lead to up to six years in prison; for a small amount for personal use the maximum is one year (Opium Act, article 10). Using GHB is not itself an offence. Trimbos points out that you can therefore call for help for someone who used GHB without legal consequences for that use (Drugs & Uitgaan).
GBL and 1,4-butanediol are not on the Opium Act lists; industry uses both, for example as solvents and cleaners. The explanatory note to the 2012 decree says that moving GHB to list I also makes trade in GBL and 1,4-butanediol aimed at producing GHB punishable as a preparatory act. We found no Dutch law change specific to GBL between 2024 and 2026.
United Kingdom
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2022 moved GHB, GBL and 1,4-butanediol from Class C to Class B, in force from 13 April 2022 (SI 2022/322; Home Office circular 001/2022). FRANK gives the maximum penalties as up to 5 years in prison for possession and up to 14 years for supply, an unlimited fine or both (FRANK, GHB).
GBL and 1,4-butanediol remain lawful for industrial purposes when they are not meant for people to swallow. Supplying or possessing them knowing they will be ingested is an offence. A Home Office consultation on tighter controls for both substances opened on 19 August 2026 and closes on 11 November 2026 (GOV.UK consultation).
Germany
GHB (γ-hydroxybutyric acid) is in Annex III of the Betäubungsmittelgesetz, the annex for substances that may be traded and prescribed under the narcotics rules (BtMG Anlage III). Outside a prescription, possession without a permit is a criminal offence.
Since 12 April 2026, GBL and 1,4-butanediol are listed in the new Annex 2 of the Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe-Gesetz, together with nitrous oxide. Recognised industrial, commercial and scientific uses are exempt. The federal health ministry explained the change by saying these substances are used to commit rape and robbery, and that placing them on the market, trade and production are now banned (Bundesgesundheitsministerium).
United States
Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid is a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law (21 CFR 1308.11). FDA-approved medicines that contain it sit in Schedule III (21 CFR 1308.13). GBL is a List I chemical (21 CFR 1310.02). We could not verify the federal status of 1,4-butanediol from a primary source, so we leave it open.
International
GHB is in Schedule II of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, according to the 2025 edition of the INCB Green List. GBL and 1,4-butanediol are not scheduled under the treaty; a 2023 toxicology review notes that only GHB is controlled internationally (Dufayet et al. 2023).
Spiking
In the United Kingdom, spiking was already punishable under older offences, and the Crime and Policing Act 2026 added a specific offence of administering a harmful substance, including by spiking. Germany named GBL being used to drug people as a reason for its 2026 ban. More on drink spiking.
What this means for this site
This site explains the risks of GHB and GBL because people use them and accurate information lowers harm. It does not sell GHB or GBL, does not explain how to get or make them and gives no dosage advice. The only product we link to is a reagent test, sold by Dutch-Smart in the Netherlands: testing a liquid.