Date Rape Drugs

Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault and Rape

The overwhelming problem of sexual assault and rape in Indiana is compounded by the use of drugs and alcohol for the purpose of rape. The majority of drugs used to facilitate a rape are tasteless, odorless and colorless. These drugs are being slipped into someone’s drink and once in effect the victim is unable to control decisions and is powerless to the rapist’s attack. In Indiana the offense of rape is aggravated when drugs are used.

Information about drugs used in rape

Rohypnol and drug-facilitated rape

• The signature effect of Rohypnol is that it involves a temporary amnesia.
• Although record quantities continued to be seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rohypnol use is on the rise and has been allegedly used to facilitate rape in every state in the Unites States. Rohypnol is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless drug manufactured by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffman-LaRoche and is prescribed in over 60 countries to treat severe insomnia. It is, however, illegal in the United States.
• Known by various street names, such as roofies, papas, dulcitas, ropes, and roaches, Rohypnol is in the same class of drugs as Valium but is ten times more potent. Its potency is further enhanced when mixed with alcohol. The person who has ingested Rohypnol will be functional, but his/her inhibitions will be markedly decreased.
• The drug can be illegally purchased for a minimal cost. Rohypnol has gained swift popularity with teenagers not only because is it cheap but also because its effects are quick and lingering, beginning minutes after ingestion and lasting for hours.
• The signature effect of Rohypnol is that it involves a temporary amnesia. With regard to drug-facilitated rape, when Rohypnol is slipped to a potential victim, s/he will be awake, aware, less inhibited, but generally will not remember either the details of the incident or the perpetrator(s) involved. S/he is, in essence, completely defenseless.

A “typical” scenario of drug-facilitated rape is as follows:

Scenario of Drug-facilitated Rape

• A woman is at a club with her friends, sipping a drink at the bar. She leaves her drink unattended on the counter to go to the bathroom. She returns shortly afterward and finishes her drink.
• About 15 minutes later, she begins to feel extremely dizzy and disoriented, with delayed movements of the type one might experience from drinking excess amounts of alcohol. Staggering, nauseous, and confused, she is immediately approached by an acquaintance or a stranger who helps her outside to get some fresh air.
• This is the last thing she remembers until she arouses into a state of consciousness some 8-12 hours later, naked in a strange bed or even in her own home. (Perpetrators often “return” the victim to her own home. If the rapist is a stranger, he will often locate the victim’s address from her driver’s license or checkbook so she will not be able later to locate his residence.)
• At best, she has short, “cameo-like” flashes of memory corresponding to brief moments when she “woke up” as a result of a sudden noise or pain. Usually, she will have no idea what has happened to her, but she feels as though she has had recent intercourse and intuitively knows that something is very wrong.
• Rohypnol cases are extremely difficult to prosecute because the drug is quickly metabolized and excreted from the body. Generally, traces of Rohypnol can be detected in the blood for up to 6 hours and in urine for 24 to 72 hours, which is barely enough time for the drugged victim to become lucid enough to contact the police.

GHB

The most threatening newcomer (after Rohypnol) is GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate)—the frequent drug of choice on the club scene and at raves. To facilitate rape, GHB is usually slipped into mixed drinks like margaritas to mask its slightly salty taste. Its effects on victims are similar to Rohypnol, except that GHB is excreted from the body at an even faster rate. Additionally, GHB decreases inhibitions to the point where many victims act overtly sexual, even though they have no memory of their behavior and/or the subsequent rape.

Federal law

In response to this growing and horrifying epidemic, in 1996 the Federal Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(b)(7) Penalties for distribution) was passed. The law adds a prison sentence of up to 20 years for rapes committed on federal land where a controlled substance (like Rohypnol) was used to incapacitate the victim. Despite these strong deterrents, drug-facilitated rape is on the rise.

What to do

1. Educate the community.
2. Keep an eye on your drinks (even non-alcoholic).
3. Keep an eye on your friends.
4. Urge anyone who suspects s/he might have been a victim of a drug-facilitated rape:
   1. Not to bathe.
   2. Not to wash his/her clothes.
   3. To save his/her first voided urine.
   4. To report to law enforcement immediately.
   5. To seek medical treatment immediately.

To protect ourselves, we must be aware of this growing problem and educate the community as much as possible. In addition, because Rohypnol and GHB are excreted from the body so quickly, it is extremely important for victims to save their first voided urine. The urine should be voided into a clean plastic or glass container and stored in the refrigerator. This may appear to be an unusual measure, but concrete evidence that the victim was drugged is crucial in order to successfully prosecute a case.

Remember if you are sexually assaulted or raped you have the right to seek medical treatment and support services without having to talk with law enforcement. You have the opportunity to get necessary medical treatment and have evidence preserved while giving you time to make a decision on reporting to the authorities.

You have the power to decide.