Addiction to a narcotic which the printing industry believed it had beaten looks to be returning, if a petition to reclassify GBL proves successful.
Earlier this year government proposals to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act included classifying GBL as a more powerful and harmful drug. This would force printers handling any volume of GBL, a compound fingered for being a date rape or recreational drug but also used as a solvent in some inkjet inks, to seek a licence to handle these inks and construct a secure area for storage. However, an industry wide campaign led by the Graphics & Print Media Alliance, resulted in an exemption for printing ink, at least while further consultation took place.
Now a petition to move GBL from Class B to Class A is gathering signatures.
The petition was launched last week by Ellie Rocket, a millennial who works in retail and is a content producer and events organiser. She posted on social media: “This is only a small start to a wider campaign movement that is very close to my heart.”
The petition needs 10,000 signatures to force a government response. At 100,000 signatures, the subject is considered for parliamentary debate.
The petition states: “These drugs are associated with more deaths than ecstasy, GHB and GBL have been used in horrific crimes such as sexual assessment [sic], rape and burglary, and these drugs are addictive.
“These drug are extremely common, and many young people take these drugs as they are easier to obtain than other higher class drugs. This has led to too many deaths and hospitalisations, and long term harm to users.”
The petition has gained more than 1,200 signatures within the first couple of days. It remains live for six months, with a close date of 8 May next year.
The compound is commonly used in solvent based inkjet inks, but is extremely difficult to extract and it is not financially viable to do so. Reclassification to Class A would almost certainly override such considerations. It is also widely used in industrial cleaning products.
Evidence about the use of GBL in ink was provided by Epson and supported by Mimaki, two of the manufacturers using the compound. If banned, the GPMA has estimated that the work that currently involves inks containing GBL might be valued as much as £1 billion. The impact would fall disproportionately on the smaller print shops that use solvent based inkjet technology.
