1,4-Butanediol is not scheduled in the United States though we believe that it may now be scheduled in some states. It is not approved by the FDA for human consumption which generally means that possession is federally legal while sale for human consumption may specifically be illegal. It is possible that possession and sales could be prosecuted under the Federal Analogue Act (as an analog of GHB) although a federal case in New York in 2002 ruled that 1,4-butanediol could not be considered an analogue of GHB under federal law. On December 11, 2002, an 8th Circuit Court in Minnesota ruled that 1,4b was an Analogue under federal law, differences in the cases and jurisdictions means the status of 14b under US Federal Law is not yet fully resolved.

2002: The DEA engaged in a very active campaign to reduce GBL, GHB, and 1,4-butanediol sales over the internet in 2002 and called their project Operation Webslinger. In late 2002, the DEA arrested a large number of people for buying and selling GBL over the internet.