Download Date Rape Drugs - State of Vermont

DATE RAPE DRUGS:
WHAT BAR OWNERS AND
STAFF NEED TO KNOW
Sarah Kenney
VT Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Montpelier, VT
223-1302
What are date rape drugs?
• Drugs used as a weapon to commit sexual assault
• Are often odorless, colorless and tasteless when
slipped into drinks
• Effects of the drugs are multiplied when combined
with alcohol
• Lower a person’s inhibitions
• Make someone more vulnerable to assault
• Most are central nervous system depressants
Drug-Facilitated Rape
• Victims are robbed of the ability to resist an
assault and of the memory of what happened
to them
• Victims are incapable of giving or not giving
consent to sexual activity
• Many assailants are able to commit their
crimes and remain undetected
Who’s affected?
Anyone of any age can be the
target of drug-facilitated rape
including:
ü Women
ü Men
ü Teens
ü Even bar owners and staff
How Common is DrugFacilitated Rape?
• No one really knows
• Testing for drugs is difficult
because of how quickly the
body processes the drugs
• Not everyone who is
drugged seeks testing,
because they may be
unaware of what has
happened
Important Notes about Drug
Facilitated Rape
• Many drugs classified as “date rape drugs” are
also used recreationally
• Even if someone voluntarily uses drugs or
alcohol, that is no excuse for rape or sexual
assault
Common Date Rape Drugs
Alcohol
Rohypnol
GHB and GBL
Ketamine
Ecstasy
Other drugs are also used
About Alcohol
• Alcohol use—by the victim,
perpetrator or both—has been
implicated in up to 75% of date
rapes of college women.
• Alcohol is implicated in more
incidents of sexual violence—
including sexual assault and child
sexual abuse—than any other single
drug.
Rohypnol
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Is like Valium but is 7 to 10 times stronger
Also known as roofies, roachies, la rocha, forget pill
Effects are felt within 15 to 30 minutes
Effects can last for up to 12 hours; amnesia can last
for 8 hours
• Is illegal in the U.S. and Canada to manufacture,
distribute or possess
• Is legal in Latin America and Europe as a treatment
for insomnia and as a pre-anesthetic medication
Rohypnol, etc.
Picture from U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration website: www.dea.gov
• Produced by Hoffman-LaRoche
• Formulation of the drug being
phased out is a one to two milligram
tablet, usually white, round and
smaller than aspirin
• New formulation is olive green
• In carbonated beverages like beer
and soda, large amounts of foaming
result for several minutes
• Tablets dissolve slowly and particles
may be visible on the bottom of the
cup
Effects of Rohypnol
• Sedation
• Dizziness
• Lack of motor
coordination
• Muscle relaxation
• Slurred speech
• Memory impairment
• Anterograde amnesia
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Impaired judgment
Loss of inhibitions
Loss of consciousness
Visual disturbances
Nausea
Excitability or
aggressive behavior in
some users
GHB
• Gamma hydroxybutyrate
• Also called liquid ecstasy, liquid X, grievous
bodily harm, Georgia home boy, easy lay
• Was banned by the FDA in 1990
• Most GHB is homemade
• Recipes are available on the internet
• Can be life threatening because potency
varies from sample to sample
GHB
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Often carried in water bottles
Is a colorless and odorless liquid
Has a slightly salty taste and is bitter
Often mixed with alcohol or fruit drinks to
mask the taste – makes it hard to recognize
• Also masked in unusual concoctions or
passed off as energy drinks
Effects of GHB
• Effects are felt within 15 to 30 minutes
• Can last 3 to 6 hours, depending on the
dosage
• Can induce coma
• As of November 2000, the Drug
Enforcement Administration had identified
71 GHB related deaths.
Effects of GHB
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Loss of consciousness
Memory impairment
Confusion
Loss of inhibition
Seizures
Dizziness
Extreme drowsiness
Stupor
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Agitation
Nausea
Visual disturbances
Severe respiratory
depression
• Reduced heart rate and
blood pressure
• Coma
• Death
GBL
• Gamma Butyrolactone
• When taken orally, GBL is naturally converted into
GHB
• Available legally in the US
• Products that contained GBL (like health
supplements) have been removed from the market
but many were reintroduced with new names and
contain BD which the body makes in to GHB
• Sold in kits via the internet to make GHB
Effects of GBL
• A label on Renewtrient (a product containing
GBL that was marketed as a dietary
supplement and has been taken off the
market) warns that one ounce will induce
deep sleep for 3 to 6 hours from which a
person may be unarousable.
• Excessive doses cause sweating, muscle
spasms, vomiting, bedwetting, and diarrhea.
Effects of GBL
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Seizures
Vomiting
Slow breathing
Slow heart rate
Unable to recall events that occurred after
taking GBL
• May be ambulatory but confused
Ketamine
• Also considered a date rape drug
• Comes as a liquid, white pill or powder that
dissolves easily in liquid
Picture from U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration website: www.dea.gov
Other drugs used to facilitate
rape
• Benzodiazepines that
are legally available in
the U.S like Valium,
Xanax, and Halcion
• Over-the-counter
sleeping aids
• Muscle relaxants
• Antihistamines (like
Benadryl)
• Prescription muscle
relaxants
• Barbiturates
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Opiates
• Amphetamines such as
Ecstasy and PCP
Percent of Positive Tests
for Each Substance
Results of testing on
urine samples for 1,891
people who believe they
were drugged and
sexually assaulted and
were submitted for
testing between June
1996 and January 1999.
Samples may test
positive for more than
one substance.
Alcohol
No substance found
Marijuana
Other benzodiazepines
Cocaine
Amphetamines
GHB
Opiates
Barbiturates
Rohypnol
41%
39%
18%
14%
8%
7%
3%
3%
1%
Less than 1%
Testing for Date Rape Drugs
• A full drug screen is available through your
local hospital – tests for all drugs in system
• Most effective tests are urine tests
• Most drugs will be eliminated from the urine
in less than 96 hours
• Time limit for many drugs is significantly less
Things to look for if you suspect
someone has been drugged
• Someone acts and feels
drunk, even if they haven’t
had much to drink
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Drowsiness
• Slurred speech
• Distorted vision
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Seizures
Muscle stiffness
Respiratory problems
Memory loss
Decreased inhibitions
Calm feelings
Hallucinations (especially if
they haven’t taken any
hallucinogenic drugs)
• Loss of consciousness
• Coma
What can patrons do to stay
safe?
• Watch their drink be poured
• Keep their hand over their drinks at all times
• Ask someone to watch over their drink while
dancing or in the bathroom
• Discard their drink if it tastes differently than
it should
• Be alert to the behavior of their friends
If you think someone has been
drugged, try asking the following
questions:
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How much have you had to drink?
What have you had to drink?
Who did you come here with?
What is your relationship to the person you’re leaving with?
How are you getting home? Who can we call to get you
home safely?
• At any point, did you leave your drink unattended? Or, did
you accept a drink from someone you didn’t know?
Important Phone Numbers
• 911, especially if
someone has lost
consciousness
• Some of these drugs
are fatal when
combined with alcohol
Important Phone Numbers
• Your local law enforcement
agency.
• Report someone you
believe is drugging others’
drinks – don’t just send
someone off to the next
bar, where they can find
another victim.
Important Phone Numbers
• Sexual Violence Hotline:
1-800-489-7273 (in Vermont)
• Learn more about medical
and legal options for people
who believe they have been
drugged