Ramathibodi Poison Centre said the chances of successfully administering gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, through a water gun were very low after a Thai woman claimed she may have been exposed to the drug during Songkran celebrations in Bangkok.
The woman posted a warning on TikTok on April 13, saying she was hospitalised after being exposed to GHB at an entertainment venue in the capital during Songkran. She said she had not accepted drinks from strangers, her cup had a lid, and her boyfriend drank from the same glass without showing any symptoms.
Because of that, she said she suspected the drug may have reached her through water splashed from a water gun. She did not present that claim as confirmed and later said it was her own assumption.
Some social media users supported her, saying only a small amount of GHB could cause severe symptoms, particularly when mixed with alcohol.
Others were sceptical, saying the GHB was expensive and difficult to obtain, making its use in a water gun unlikely. Some also accused her of fabricating the story.
The case later spread to Chinese social media platform Weibo. Some Chinese users expressed concern, saying many Chinese tourists visit Thailand during Songkran each year and that the claim had raised fears about safety.
Ramathibodi Poison Centre later shared information about GHB and its effects on the body. The centre said the substance leaves the body quickly, but warned that combining it with alcohol could lead to a critical condition.
The centre added that GHB is difficult to access and costly, and said using it in a water gun would be wasteful and offer a low chance of success.
Following the public discussion, the woman met officers at Makkasan Police Station yesterday, April 20, to provide more information. She also underwent another test at Police General Hospital in an effort to confirm which substances were found in her system, but the result had not been released at the time of reporting.
After speaking to police, she told reporters she felt relieved after giving details of the incident. She said she had not made up the story, but acknowledged that the theory about GHB being delivered through a water gun was only her own assumption and that she would wait for the outcome of the police investigation.
Asked whether any friends at the party seemed suspicious, she said all those present were close friends whom she had known for a long time and that none had any known history of drug involvement.
She added that she rarely visited entertainment venues and had never experienced anything similar before. She also said she had not expected the story to spread among international social media users, explaining that she posted it only to warn others.
Police said they had obtained CCTV footage from the entertainment venue for the investigation. Officers added that reviewing the footage was difficult because more than 4,000 people visited the venue that day.
The story Thai woman’s Songkran GHB exposure claim investigated as poison centre questions theory as seen on Thaiger News.
