When Drugs Are Used to Rape : SFRC & TTC

Research on sexual assault suggests that between 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men are sexually abused at some point in their lifetime. This overwhelming problem of sexual violence has in recent years become even more insidious and frightening. All around the country—including here in Santa Fe—a tasteless, odorless, colorless drug is being slipped into the drinks of unsuspecting women, who are then raped.

Rohypnol and drug-facilitated rape

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.

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 a stranger (or acquaintance) who helps her outside to get some fresh air.

This is the last thing she remembers until she awakens into 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

Rohypnol is not the only date rape drug. 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

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.

Years ago, Rape Crisis Centers around the country began a campaign to educate women not to bathe or wash their clothes after being raped, and most victims (though not all) are aware of these instructions as a matter of course. With more education, it is possible for women and men to also know to save their first voided urine if they suspect they have been drugged and raped. Then, even if it takes the victim a number of days to gather the courage to come forward, crucial evidence will have been preserved.

Keep an eye on your drinks (even non-alcoholic). Keep an eye on your friends, and urge anyone who suspects s/he might have been a victim of a drug-facilitated rape to report to law enforcement immediately.