Date rape drug refers to any drug that can be used to assist in the commission of a sexual assault (date rape). Sexual assault is any Assault of a sexual nature on another person See also Types of rape The term "date rape" refers to the non-consensual Sexual activity between people who are known to each other either platonically The definition of the term is not absolute, because every drug that has been used for this purpose also has been taken willingly by people in some other situations. Date rape drugs commonly have sedative, hypnotic, dissociative, and/or amnesiac effects, and, when used to facilitate rape, are often added to a food or drink without the victim's knowledge. A sedative, or more specifically a sedative-hypnotic, is a substance that depresses the Central nervous system (CNS resulting in calmness relaxation sleepiness For the state of mind see Hypnosis. Hypnotic drugs induce Sleep (which differentiates them from the Sedative A dissociative is a drug which reduces (or blocks signals to the conscious mind from other parts of the brain typically but not necessarily limited to the Senses Such Anterograde amnesia is a loss of Memory of what happens after the event that caused the Amnesia; it is different from Retrograde amnesia, where memories Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person ^[1]

Contents 1 Types of drugs 1.1 Alcohol 1.2 Benzodiazepines 1.3 GHB/GBL 1.4 Other drugs 2 Dangers 3 Mass hysteria 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Types of drugs

Two drugs often referred to as date rape drugs are GHB also known as gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, and benzodiazepines (such as flunitrazepam, also known as Rohypnol or "roofies"); however, alcohol still remains the drug most frequently-implicated in substance-assisted sexual assault. gamma -Hydroxybutyric acid, 4-hydroxybutanoic acid, GHB, or fantasy is a naturally-occurring substance found in the Central nervous Flunitrazepam (ˌfluːnaɪˈtræzəpæm is a highly potent Hypnotic drug with powerful Sedative, Anxiolytic, Amnestic, and Skeletal In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon ^[2]

Alcohol

Alcohol remains the most commonly used date rape drug because it is legal and readily available. Many assailants use alcohol because their victims often willingly imbibe it, and can be encouraged to drink enough to lose inhibitions or consciousness. Even if the victim agrees to sex, the act may be considered rape if the victim's judgment was impaired or incapacitated by alcohol. Some assailants have committed "rapes of convenience" whereby they fondle a victim after he or she became unconscious from drinking too much.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are drugs used to treat anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, and several other conditions. The benzodiazepines (pronounced, often abbreviated to "benzos") are a class of Psychoactive drugs with varying Hypnotic Anxiety is a physiological and psychological state characterized by Cognitive, Somatic, Emotional and Behavioral components Panic attacks are sudden discrete periods of intense anxiety mounting Physiological arousal fear stomach problems and discomfort that are associated with a variety of Insomnia is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity Some benzodiazepines used to treat insomnia possess powerful sedative, motor-impairing, and strong amnestic properties. Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), temazepam (Restoril), and midazolam are the three benzodiazepines most commonly used to facilitate date rape, all three are hypnotic benzodiazepines. Flunitrazepam (ˌfluːnaɪˈtræzəpæm is a highly potent Hypnotic drug with powerful Sedative, Anxiolytic, Amnestic, and Skeletal Temazepam (marketed under brand names Restoril, Euhypnos, Normison, Remestan, Tenox and Norkotral) is an intermediate-acting Midazolam (marketed under brand names Dormicum, Flormidal, Versed, Hypnovel and Dormonid, pronounced mɪˈdæzəlæm ^[3] Rohypnol is of particular interest because it is readily soluble in ethanol and because it is the benzodiazepine most frequently used for date rape. Flunitrazepam (ˌfluːnaɪˈtræzəpæm is a highly potent Hypnotic drug with powerful Sedative, Anxiolytic, Amnestic, and Skeletal Rohypnol is not approved for use in the United States and its importation is banned. ^[4]

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse:

"Rohypnol can incapacitate victims and prevent them from resisting sexual assault. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA is a United States federal-government research institute whose mission is to "lead the Nation in bringing the power of science Flunitrazepam (ˌfluːnaɪˈtræzəpæm is a highly potent Hypnotic drug with powerful Sedative, Anxiolytic, Amnestic, and Skeletal It can produce "anterograde amnesia," which means that individuals may not remember events they experienced while under the effects of the drug. Anterograde amnesia is a loss of Memory of what happens after the event that caused the Amnesia; it is different from Retrograde amnesia, where memories "^[5]

The sedative effects of Rohypnol begin to appear approximately 15–20 minutes after the drug is ingested. Sedation is a Medical procedure involving the administration of Sedative drugs generally to facilitate a medical procedure with Local anaesthesia. A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a Chemical substance that acts primarily upon the Central nervous system where it alters Brain The effects typically last from four to 8 hours after administration of the drug, but some cases have been reported in which the effects were experienced 12 or more hours after administration. In recent news, it has been discovered that scientists can now detect flunitrazepam and related compounds in urine at least up to 5 days after administration of a single dose of Rohypnol and up to a month in hair. ^[6]

GHB/GBL

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has effects that are very similar to those of alcohol. gamma -Hydroxybutyric acid, 4-hydroxybutanoic acid, GHB, or fantasy is a naturally-occurring substance found in the Central nervous According to the Drug Enforcement Administration:

"Victims may not be aware that they ingested a drug at all. The Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA) is a United States Department of Justice Law enforcement agency tasked with combating drug smuggling and GHB and its analogues are invisible when dissolved in water, and are odorless. For other uses see Analog (disambiguation. In Chemistry, analogs or analogues are compounds in which one or They are somewhat saltish in taste, but are indiscernible when dissolved in beverages such as soft drinks, liquor, or beer. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants A drink, or beverage, is a Liquid specifically prepared for Human consumption Soft drink is a beverage that does not contain Alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as soda soda pop pop, or Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea " This is also known as a famous club and party drug. ^[7]

However, the amount of saltiness one tastes varies depending on one's sodium intake ^[8].

"GHB is, in fact, quite salty. When mixed in a drink, it ruins the drink (like dumping bicarb into a drink). Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the Chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3 "^[9]

Common recreational doses of GHB are in the range of 1. 8 to 2. 7 grams, a large amount compared with most other sedative drugs, which can be active in amounts measured in milligrams. Doses required to induce complete sedation are even higher in most individuals. This makes detection of a drink tainted with GHB more likely and makes use of GHB to spike drinks considerably more difficult.

Other drugs

• Chloral hydrate, producing a sedative/hypnotic effect similar to that of benzodiazepines. Chloral hydrate is a Sedative and Hypnotic drug as well as a Chemical reagent and precursor A drink that has been spiked with chloral hydrate is often called a Mickey Finn. A Mickey Finn (or simply Mickey) is a Slang term for a Drink laced with a drug (especially Chloral hydrate) given to someone

Dangers

These drugs can be extremely dangerous when administered to an individual not aware of the drugging, and it may kill or render the victim comatose, especially in large doses or in combination with other drugs or alcohol. In Medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep is a profound state of Unconsciousness. Drug allergies and interactions are also a possibility. Drug effects can be amplified in a certain percentage of the population that lack enzymes normally found in drug metabolism. Enzymes are Biomolecules that catalyze ( ie increase the rates of Chemical reactions Almost all enzymes are Proteins Drug metabolism is the Metabolism of drugs, their Biochemical modification or degradation usually through specialized enzymatic systems

It is imperative that any investigation into the suspected use of date rape drugs involve an immediate blood test, as waiting too long to test for the presence of drugs may cause false negatives, because these drugs are quickly metabolized and eliminated by the body. In Statistics, the terms Type I error (also α error, or false positive) and type II error ( β error, or a false negative Trying to deduce from the symptoms whether or not date rape drugs have been used can cause false positives. In Statistics, the terms Type I error (also α error, or false positive) and type II error ( β error, or a false negative

Testing kits that claim to detect GHB, ketamine, and benzodiazepines such as Rohypnol in seconds are commercially available under names such as The Drink Detective. Ketamine is a drug for use in human and veterinary medicine developed by Parke-Davis (today a part of Pfizer) in 1962 The benzodiazepines (pronounced, often abbreviated to "benzos") are a class of Psychoactive drugs with varying Hypnotic Companies around the world are making or trying to make paper coasters or drink stirrers that change color when dabbed with a drink doctored with a date rape drug. ^[10][11] In most countries, whether or not a drug was used is irrelevant to the issue of whether a particular incident is rape or not. The legal definition of rape in countries such as the United States also covers a lack of consent when the victim is unable to say "no" to intercourse, whether the effect is due to drugging or simply alcohol consumption. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[12]

Mass hysteria

In 2003, when the media were reporting a drink-spiking epidemic in Perth, Western Australia, 44 women had their blood tested because they believed they had been the victims of drink-spiking. Mass hysteria, also called collective hysteria, mass psychogenic illness, or collective obsessional behavior, is the sociopsychological Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. In Epidemiology, an epidemic (from Greek epi- upon + demos people is a classification of a disease that appears as new cases in a Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. The West Australian Chemistry Centre tested the blood samples, and, in these 44 cases, the only substance found in the victims' system was excessive alcohol. Police said that the blood-alcohol level of most of the subjects was significantly higher than what the women had themselves expected. Alcohol has the same effects as other date rape drugs, and causes unconsciousness and memory loss. Memory loss can have many causes Alzheimer's disease is an illness which can cause mild to severe memory loss

In the UK, of a study of 75 women who reported falling victim to date rape drugs, not one instance turned out to be due to a date rape drug. [1]

Sometimes victims end up drinking too much and insist that they were drugged, when, in fact, they overestimated their tolerance for alcohol. A study in the UK found that only 2 percent of a pool of 1,014 rape victims had their drinks spiked with sedatives. ^[13]

See also

• Mickey Finn (drugs)
• Samantha Reid
• Rape
• Date rape
• Club drug

References

External links

• "Drug rape myth exposed as study reveals binge drinking is to blame", Daily Mail (UK) article on binge drinking and claims of "spiked" drinks

• Waiter Prevents Perpetrator from spiking Womans Cocktail with Valium

• Waiter Prevents Perpetrator from spiking Womans Cocktail with Valium

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