Date Rape Drugs

Rohypnol, GHB, GBL, & Benzodiazepines¹

These drugs are sometimes used to facilitate sexual assault because they have sedative effects as well as the ability to impair memory. NOTE: Alcohol increases the effects of these drugs.

How they work?
  • They are typically odorless, colorless, and tasteless when placed in a drink (except for GBL, which has a bitter taste that can be masked by strong-tasting drinks).
  • Within 30 minutes of ingestion, the victim may struggle to talk or move and may pass out. At this point, the person is vulnerable to assault.
  • The victim may have virtually no memory of the events that occurred
  • These drugs leave the body rapidly, making them difficult to detect in a person who has been drugged.
  • Rohypnol leaves the body within 36-72 hours
  • GHB leaves the body within 10-12 hours
  • GBL leaves the urinary system within 6 hours and the bloodstream within 24 hours

Ketamine¹

Ketamine is another predatory drug used by perpetrators of sexual assault. It is a dissociative general anesthetic that causes individuals to feel detached from their bodies and surrounding. Thus, during an assault, victims may be aware of what is happening to them but unable to move or fight back. It may also cause amnesia so that they do not remember the events that occurred.

  • Encouraging someone to disregard personal boundaries
  • Actively pressuring someone to drink
  • Supplying someone with alcohol for the sole purpose of engaging in sex with that person

WHAT TO DO²

  • 1. Watch out for your friends and vice versa. If your friend seems "out of it," is too drunk for the amount of alcohol s/he has consumed, or is acting out of character, get her/him to safe place immediately.
  • 2. If you think you or a friend has been drugged, call 911 and be explicit with the health care providers so they'll give you the correct tests (you'll need a urine test and possibly others).

¹Adapted from RAINN.org
²Adapted from "RAINN's Top Safety Tips for Safe Drinking"