CHAPTER 8

The Type of Drugs and Their Effects

Part 8 - Date Rape Drugs

There are several drugs that are known as "date rape drugs." These drugs are placed into an unsuspecting woman's drink by the perpetrator. They are virtually undetectable by the victim, who is usually a woman. In effect, they render the woman helpless. To the bystander, she may appear to be drunk. She may become unconscious. Alcohol can increase the effect of the drug and the combination can be dangerous. The victim becomes unable to fend off her attacker and often becomes a victim of a violent crime such as rape. When the effects of the drug wear off, the woman is often unable to remember what has happened to her. She may have no memory of the past 6 to 12 hours, since finishing her drink. She usually wakes up in an unknown place, feeling disoriented, and finds she has been the victim of a rape. Because of these drugs, women are urged not to leave their drinks unattended, accept an opened drink, or accept any drink from a stranger.

These drugs are also used by substance abusers to achieve a "high." They may also be used with other drugs to enhance the effects of those drugs or to "come down" off a high. They are common among young substance abusers and have been linked to many deaths. They are common at bars, nightclubs, and "raves," large underground parties where loud music and drugs are common.

There are several of these drugs on the streets. The more common ones that have been in the headlines include Rohypnol, GHB, and GHL. They are all equally dangerous. Congress passed the "Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act of 1996" in October 1996. This legislation increased Federal penalties for use of any controlled substance to assist in sexual assault.

ROHYPNOL ("roofies or rophies")

• date-rape drug, put in victim's drinks: colorless, odorless, and tasteless
• renders the victims unable to fend off attackers or to remember what has happened to them
• About 10 minutes after ingesting, the victim may feel dizzy, disoriented, simultaneously too hot and too cold, and nauseated. The victim may experience difficulty speaking and moving and then pass out. The victim may appear to be drunk. There will be no memory of what happened while under the influence of the drug.
• Names: roofies, rophies, ruffies, rope, the forget pill, roach, R-2's, rophs, mind erasers, roche, circles, La Rochas, ruffles, dulcitas, whiteys, trip and fall, Mexican Valium, lunch money, pappa, potatoes, negatives or minuses (1 mg tablets) or pluses or Roches Dos (2 mg tablets)
• actual drug name is Flunitrazepam, brand name is Rohypnol
• considered a benzodiazepine
• powerful sedative that is 10 times stronger than Valium
• pills - usually in foil backed, clear plastic "blister packs" or "bubble packs"
• may be ground into powder; occasionally found in liquid form
• A 2 mg pill produces a 6 to 12 hour sedation
• illegal to possess or distribute in the United States; however, prescriptions are legal in over 60 other countries for severe insomnia
• usually smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico or Columbia; popular in Texas and Florida
• possession of Rohypnol is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine
• distribution/administration of Rohypnol to another person without that person's knowledge, and with the intent to commit a crime of violence, is punishable by up to twenty years in prison and a fine
• can cause blackouts, amnesia, loss of inhibition, impaired judgment, reduced levels of consciousness, muscle relaxation, reduction in anxiety, drowsiness, lightheadedness, dizziness, confusion, vertigo, gastrointestinal disturbances, decreased blood pressure, visual disturbances, and urinary retention
• may be lethal when mixed with alcohol or other depressants
• often abused by high school and college students due to low cost ($2-$5 per pill)
• used at "raves" or parties to get "high"
• potential for addiction - can produce physical and psychological dependence
• used with marijuana or heroin to enhance the effects of those drugs
• cocaine users may take it to "come down" from a crack or powder cocaine binge

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate)

• date-rape drug - put in victim's drinks; colorless and odorless
• renders the victims unable to fend off attackers or to remember what has happened to them
• victim may appear to be drunk; the effects can be felt within 5 to 20 minutes after ingestion
• the effects last one and a half to three hours
• initially was used by body builders to stimulate muscle growth
• synthesized from a chemical used to clean electrical circuit boards
• Names: Grievous Bodily Harm, liquid X, liquid ecstasy, easy lay, G, Vita-G, G-juice, Georgia Home Boy, great hormones, somatomax, scoop, soap, gamma 10, goop, energy drink
• powerful synthetic drug that acts like a depressant on the central nervous system
• usually a clear liquid that is colorless and odorless, may be white crystalline powder
• can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, seizures, respiratory depression, intense drowsiness, unconsciousness, amnesia, and coma
• may be lethal when mixed with alcohol
• addictive; withdrawal symptoms include body cramps
• distributed at clubs, bars, parties and raves by capfuls, teaspoons, drops, or "swigs"
• may be placed in any kind of bottle or jar or in a paper cup
• slightly salty taste - may be masked by a sweet liqueur
• very dangerous: often homemade in street labs, kitchens or bathtubs by mixing various chemical including solvents and caustic soda
• legal in Europe for anesthetic uses
• very narrow margin between the dose that will produce intoxication and the amount that will cause harmful effects
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared GHB illegal in 1990. The drug has been linked to various illnesses (vomiting, respiratory problems, seizures, comas) and deaths.

GHL (gamma butyrolactone)

• date-rape drug - put in women's drinks; colorless, odorless, and tasteless
• renders the victims unable to fend off attackers or to remember what has happened to them
• victim may appear to be drunk
• variation of GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate)
• highly addictive
• clear liquid or powder
• severe withdrawal symptoms including severe shakes, psychosis, violent outbursts
• same effects as GHB
• distributed at clubs, bars, parties and raves