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Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault
Drugs Used to Facilitate Sexual Assault
Rohypnol: What is it?
Rohypnol (the brand name of flunitrazepam) is a benzodiazepine like the tranquilizer Valium, yet 10 times more potent. Rohypnol has been called a “date rape drug” because of its use in sexual assaults. Rohypnol is manufactured and distributed by Hoffman-LaRoche, a Swiss pharmaceutical company. This drug is widely used in Europe, Mexico and South America for the treatment of severe sleep disorders and pre-anesthesia. However, Rohypnol has always been illegal in the United States because of its abuse potential. In March 1996, U.S. Customs made it illegal to bring this foreign-based drug prescription into the country as well.
How Can I Recognize Rohypnol?
Rohypnol is commonly found in 0.5 or 1 mg tablet form or rarely in a 2mg/ml solution that can be injected. The white or green tablets are aspirin-sized and are usually scored, separating the pill into two or four sections. The company logo ROCHE is usually printed curving across the top of the tablet. Rohypnol can also be found in a powder form though not as common as the tablet form. The small, round, white tablets come packaged in bubble/foil packets and have a “clean, pure” look to them. The drug is odorless, colorless and tasteless.
Effects of Rohypnol:
Rohypnol usually takes effect within 15-30 minutes after ingestion and can last from 4-72 hours, having an effect ten times more powerful than Valium. Effects include a drunken appearance (drowsiness, light-headedness, dizziness), fatigue, memory loss, slurred speech, lack of motor coordination, anterograde amnesia, impaired judgment and coma. The effects of Rohypnol are intensified when the drug is mixed with alcohol.
It is important to be tested to confirm the use of Rohypnol. Blood can be tested up to 24 hours and urine up to 96 hours following ingestion.
Street Names for Rohypnol:
Ruffies, Roches, Roofies, Forget Pill, R-2s, Wolfies, Roofenol, Roach, Ruffles
GHB: What is it?
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, has been non-approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 1990. In recent years this substance has, however, made an illegal comeback. GHB was once sold in health food stores as a performance enhancer for body builders and athletes. Today this substance is being used for many illicit reasons, one of which is to commit sexual assaults.
Although GHB is no longer sold in the U.S., the ingredients are still available. So while GHB is illegal in the U.S., it is still being mixed and taken to bars, nightclubs and rave parties. GHB, a homemade substance, is inconsistent in its ingredients and potency, and becomes toxic if mixed incorrectly or with alcohol.
How Can I Recognize GHB?
In its most common form, GHB is a clear liquid, but it may also come in a white grainy powder. In either form the substance is usually odorless and tasteless although some individuals report a slight salty or bitter taste. GHB is becoming a popular recreational drug among rave party participants and persons who abuse drugs.
Effects of GHB:
The onset of GHB effects usually occurs within 15-30 minutes after ingestion. A person can be unconscious for 3-5 hours. These effects can last up to 8 hours, depending on the dose. GHB is a central nervous system depressant and can induce the following effects: drowsiness, dizziness, agitation, confusion, inebriation, stupor and reduced muscle tone, increased heart rate and blood pressure, coma and possible death.
GHB is readily absorbed into a person’s gastrointestinal tract and reaches the brain quickly. Because there are no active metabolites, it is difficult to find in blood or urine after a few hours. Specific testing should be sought, however, up to 24 hours following suspected ingestion.
Street Names for GHB:
Grievous Bodily Harm, Liquid X, Liquid Ecstasy, Liquid E, Easy Lay, Vita-G, G-juice, Georgia Home Boy, Energy Drink
Other Drugs to be aware of:
There are several other substances used to facilitate sexual assault. Although not as widely used as Rohypnol and GHB, they are still weapons used to render victims helpless. Some of these substances are Ketamine, Clonazepam, Scopalamine, and Foxy.
Ketamine is a veterinary anesthetic tranquilizer. Recently, Ketamine has become a popular recreational drug among college students, teenagers and rave party attendees. Ketamine is found in both white powder and liquid forms. This substance can be snorted, mixed with drinks, smoked or injected. Street names for Ketamine include “Special K or K”. The effects of Ketamine begin within 10-15 minutes after ingestion and include loss of motor control, memory loss, drowsiness, numbness and nausea. These effects can last up to 18 or 24 hours depending on the amount used, body size, tolerance, method of administration and the environment in which the drug was consumed.
Clonazepam, like Rohypnol, is distributed by Hoffman-LaRoche. In the U.S. this legal substance is marketed as Klonopin, and as Rivotril in Australia and Mexico. Clonazepam is just as potent as Rohypnol and produces the same effects. This small pill prescribed as an anti-convulsant, is usually scored and contains a K-shaped perforation on each tablet.
Scopalamine is used, under a physician’s care, to treat Parkinson’s disease, to help relieve gastrointestinal problems and as a sleep aid. Scopalamine, also known as Burandanga, is derived from herbs and has been used in sexual assaults and robberies throughout South America for years. This tasteless, light yellow powder can be blown in a victim’s face, laced into chewing gum, hidden in chocolate or dissolved into beverages and takes affect almost immediately. The drug causes disorientation, memory loss and an inability to resist the perpetrator’s commands. Recently there has been an influx of Burandanga into the U.S. through some illegal alien criminal markets. Most Americans are still unaware of this dangerous substance.
Foxy 5-methoxy-N, N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT), also known as Foxy or Foxy Methoxy, is a hallucinogenic drug in the tryptamine family, similar to psilocybin (mushrooms) or psilocin. Until recently, Foxy was not a controlled substance. Though available as powder or liquid, Foxy most frequently appears in tablet or capsule form. The tablets are red or purple and often embossed with an alien head or spider stamp. The capsules contain a blue, green, tan, orange, gray, or pink powder. The effects peak at 60 to 90 minutes and last 3 to 6 hours. Effects include: hallucinations, euphoria, empathy, visual and auditory disturbances or distortions, emotional distress, dilated pupils, talkativeness, disinhibition, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tension, and jaw clenching. Street Names for Foxy include Fox, Foxy, Foxys, Methoxy Foxy, Trash, Dip foxy, Roxy, Yum Yum, Muffy, Excite-bike, Five.
Alcohol, a legal and widely used substance, is often used alone or with one of these drugs to facilitate sexual assault. Certain alcohol expectancies have also been linked to sexual assault. For example, alcohol is commonly viewed as an aphrodisiac that increases sexual desire and capacity. College men who had perpetrated sexual assault when intoxicated expected alcohol to increase male and female sexuality more than did college men who perpetrated sexual assault when sober. Men with these expectancies may feel more comfortable forcing sex when they are drinking because they can later justify to themselves that the alcohol made them act accordingly. (Source: Antonia Abbey, Ph.D., Tina Zawacki, MA., Philip O. Buck, MA., A. Monique Clinton, MA., and Pam McAuslan, Ph.D., Alcohol and Sexual Assault, 2001.)
Back to Drug and Acohol Facilitated Sexual Assault
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