Rohypnol
Many of the cases in which drugs have been used on a rape victim start the same away. The story begins with an unsuspecting young woman who reports that she attended a party or visited a bar. She is offered a drink, commonly containing alcohol mixed with juice or soda. After receiving her drink, she becomes distracted by either bar or party noise or by the manipulation of her “soon to be” assailant. The few seconds that it takes her to turn her head away from her drink is just long enough for the individual to slip an easily dissolving drug into her beverage. She has no idea what has just occurred and continues to sip her drink. Within a few minutes, a feeling of lightheadedness comes upon her. Eventually, she loses control over herself and blacks out with no recollection of the events that will or have transpired. After a few hours, she awakens with a foggy memory of the night’s events and tousled clothing. In most cases, she realizes that she had just been raped.
The events that have unfolded in this situation are becoming more common, especially on college campuses across the United States. The simplicity of this attack is scary, but the vulnerability of the victim in this situation is even scarier. The assailant is able to have complete control over the generally unconscious victim through the use of date rape drugs. Easily found and purchased, these drugs are becoming more and more commonly used to facilitate rape. There are over 20 drugs that have been used as to help the attacker in a sexual assault, but the three most commonly used date rape drugs are Rohypnol, Gamma-HYDROXYBUTYRATE (GHB) and Ketamine Hydrochloride. Through this paper, I hope to explain the chemistry of the drugs, the effects on the body, the onset, the duration and other important characteristics of the drugs. I also hope to provide people with awareness and knowledge of the drugs to successfully prevent this type of situation from happening to their family, friends and even themselves.
Rohypnol
Commonly known as roofies, ribs, roachies, rope, forget pills, or LaRocha, Rohypnol is a sedative-hypnotic benzodiazepine, specifically 7-nitro benzodiazepine. Its common chemical name is flunitrazepam (see figure above) and it is very similar to Valium, a medication commonly prescribed as a relaxant. However, Rohypnol is 10 times more potent and is therefore illegal in the United States; many times it is smuggled or mailed to the United States and then sold on the streets. In some cases, the tablet will still have the “bubble packaging” to make it look legitimate and legal in the United States. However, several countries, such as those in Europe and Latin America, have legalized the use of Rohypnol. In these countries, it is often prescribed as a pre-anesthetic for surgery, a sleeping pill, or an anti-anxiety medication.
Rohypnol, the most commonly used of the date rape drugs, comes in tablet or pill form and is white in color. It is fairly inexpensive at a cost of approximately four to five dollars for a 2 mg tablet. The tablet, when crushed, quickly dissolves in liquids with no odor, color or taste, therefore making it nearly impossible for a victim to detect the drug in their beverage. However, in the late 1990’s, manufacturers realized the widespread use of Rohypnol as a date rape drug and then began making a new tablet that takes more time to dissolve and turns the drink it is being put into, to a bluish color.
Rohypnol acts very powerfully on the nervous system causing dizziness, muscular relaxation, urinary retention, lowered blood pressure, inhibition, respiratory depression and in many cases, amnesia. Because of the lack of muscle control after being given this drug, it is easy to see why the victim’s vulnerability increases dramatically; it produces such a profound sedation that victims are unable to resist any sexual advance by their attacker.
When Rohypnol first enters the body, it is absorbed and distributed to the body tissues through the plasma. It is later metabolized and then excreted by the kidneys. The time required for this process to take place can take anywhere from twelve to thirty-six hours. Specifically, the half-life, or the time required for half of the drug to be excreted, is about twenty hours. In many cases, the onset will occur within ten to thirty minutes of indigestion, with feelings of sleepiness, nausea, vision impairment, hot and cold sweats and trouble speaking or moving. The actual duration of the effects depends highly on the dose given to the person, but generally the victim will pass out and awake between six to eight hours later with shaking or trembling and no memory of the events that previously occurred. If this drug is combined with alcohol, such as the situation at a party or bar, the effects of Rohypnol are even more powerful and in some cases can be fatal. It takes just one tablet to produce effects that can last anywhere from eight to twelve hours!
Gamma Hydroxy-butyrate, or GHB, acts upon the central nervous system, specifically through the gamma aminobutyne acid (GADA), dopamine, and GHB receptors. Dopamine and GADA are neurotransmitters that control or inhibit movement in the central nervous system. An increase in either of these two neurotransmitters or a drug such as GHB, which can occupy the receptor sites, causes slowed movement and feelings of hyptonia. But GHB doesn’t just slow movement. In small doses, GHB affects the body in a similar way as alcohol, causing euphoria, calmness, and small hallucinations. Taken in large doses, its effects become incredibly dangerous; GHB causes lowered blood pressure, euphoria, hallucinations, depressed respiration, vomiting, seizures, unconsciousness, coma and in extreme cases, even death. Taking GHB with alcohol greatly increases the likelihood that the result be a fatal.
GHB emerged in the United States in the 1980’s as a bodybuilding supplement, an aid to sleeplessness and to weight loss. This drug reduces the rate at which a body breaks down protein and stimulates release of the body’s growth hormone. It is because of these two processes that GHB was believed to aid in muscle building and the loss of fat.
However, the negative effects greatly outweighed the positives causing the Food and Drug Administration to ban GHB from the American markets in 1990. Currently, this drug is approved only for research purposes in the United States. However, this drug can be obtained at raves, parties, nightclubs and on the Internet from companies in England, Mexico, and South Africa. GHB can be produced a relatively low cost for these manufactures because it requires just two materials - Gamma butyrolactone, a solvent in paint removers and engine degreasers and a strong base, such as KOH or NaOH. But this can make the purity of GHB vary from company to company, causing further devastating effects for the victim!
In general, GHB, also known as liquid X, salty water, liquid ecstasy and grievous bodily harm, is a white, grainy powder or liquid. It is colorless, odorless and easily dissolved in drinks. With a taste similar to salt, it to be undetected in drinks such as margaritas, long island iced teas and tart fruit drinks. When GHB enters the body it is quickly metabolized and converted into carbon dioxide and water. Because of the rapid absorption, the drug takes effect in five to twenty minutes and will last anywhere from one to twelve hours, depending on the dose. Furthermore, the rapid metabolization and conversion of GHB into non-toxic compounds causes the detection of the drug in urine to last no longer than four to five hours. Because the GHB does not stay a person’s body for long, it can make it very difficult for doctors and hospitals to detect if this drug was used on a rape victim.
Ketamine hydrochloride is an off white powder that was commonly used as a veterinary anesthetic or an anesthetic for children. Also known as Special K, vitamin K, Kit Kat, and Keller, Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, which acts upon the central nervous system. Specifically, it separates your sensation and perception causing hallucinations.
Taken in small doses, feelings of detachment from sensations and a loss of time perception typically result. The person will begin to experience memory loss, decreased oxygen to the brain, and slurred speech. However, in larger doses, a person’s perceptions become greatly distorted, commonly called the “K-hole.” They can begin to experience hallucinations, paranoia, depression, paralysis, numbness, and severe breathing problems. An overdose can result in unconsciousness, a coma, and even death. When taken orally, it takes only ten to twenty minutes for the onset of the effects and the duration can be anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours. When snorted or injected, the effects begin very quickly – only thirty seconds to five minutes.
Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine Hydrochloride, more commonly known as date rape drugs, have similar effects on the body. They cause hallucinations, inhibition, memory loss, decrease in motor control and a decline in judgment. When combined with alcohol, the adverse effects of these drugs greatly increase. But maybe a more important commonality between them is that they are easily dissolved in liquids, such as alcohol and sodas and act very rapidly on the body. Because of this, it is very easy for a “drugged drink” to go unnoticed by the victim.
Tips from the National Women’s Health Information Center
Ø “Be wary about accepting drinks from anyone you don't know well or long enough to trust. If you are accepting a drink, make sure it's from an unopened container and that you open it yourself.”
Ø “Don't put your drink down and leave it unattended, even to go to the restroom.”
Ø “Notify other females you know about the effects of this dangerous drug.”
Ø
“If you
think that you have been a victim, notify the authorities immediately.”
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