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Using drugs to
facilitate sexual assault on college campuses and in off-campus settings
has received increasing attention over the last decade. Important
information about drug-facilitated sexual assault and some of the newer
trends in this phenomenon appear below. Discussed are some of the signs of
having been drugged and options for what to do if you believe you or
someone you know may have been drugged, followed by information on drugs
commonly used to facilitate sexual assault, the law, risk reduction
strategies, and resources.
Indicators That You
May Have Been Drugged
Each victim is unique
and will experience the effects of having been drugged differently. The
following are warning signs that you or someone you know may have been
drugged.
Warning Signs -
when the drugs are taking effect:
- appearance of being
heavily intoxicated, often out of proportion to how much the victim has
actually had to drink;
- feelings of
intoxication that come on very quickly;
- nausea, dizziness,
disorientation, and decreased inhibition;
- heaviness or
paralysis in the arms and legs;
- tunnel
vision.
Warning Signs -
when the effects of drugs are wearing/have worn off:
- feeling sick,
similar to an extreme hangover;
- loss of memory of
what happened just before waking up;
- amnesia - no memory
of anything that happened after taking a drink;
- signs of possibly
having been assaulted - waking up with clothes put on differently, in a
strange place, etc.
What To Do If You
Think You May Have Been Drugged
As a victim of
drugging and/or of a drug-facilitated sexual assault, you have many
options regarding the type of assistance you may want. These options fall
into three categories - medical help, counseling, and judicial assistance
from the police and/or university. It is important that you get to a place
where you feel safe and can talk to a person about what happened. Consider
telling a friend, residence life staff, the police or calling our
department, the Department of Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim
Assistance (SAS/CVA). Telling someone does not commit you to filing
a formal report or to prosecuting the perpetrator. The use of
these drugs and sexual assault, committed with the use of these drugs or
not, are both criminal and University offenses. Help is available from our
department and from the local rape crisis center, the campus health
centers, and the Rutgers University Police Department.
Important
Factors to Remember:
- If you do not want
to press charges against the perpetrator for drugging you, the cost of
the test to screen for the presence of these drugs will not be
covered.
- If you think you
have been sexually assaulted, the cost of services for treatment for the
sexual assault will be covered, whether or not you press
charges.
- If you think you
have been drugged, and want to be tested for the presence of drugs in
your system, try not to urinate upon waking. If you must urinate, try to
obtain a urine sample in a clean container.
- Since these drugs
leave the body quickly, it is important to have a test to screen for the
presence of the drug as soon as possible. Traces of these drugs may be
present in the body for up to 3 days after ingestion.
- If you decide to be
tested for the presence of these drugs, you will need to specifically
ask to be tested for possible Rohypnol/GHB presence; a general drug
screening will not detect Rohypnol or GHB.
The "Date Rape"
Drugs
Reports of the use of
drugs by individuals seeking to sedate potential victims for the purpose
of sexually assaulting these victims have increased on college campuses in
recent years. Several of the drugs used to commit sexual assaults have
also led to hospitalizations and deaths. Drug-related sexual assault poses
unique difficulties for survivors of sexual assault, and for those trying
to reduce their risk of assault. During a sexual assault in which the
victim has been drugged using Rohypnol, GHB, Ketamine, or GBL, s/he often
passes out. S/he may wake up intermittently during the assault, and some
victims remember nothing while others retain partial memories. Traceable
amounts of these drugs may remain in a victim's urine for up to three days
after ingestion.
The following provides
important information on the most common drugs used to commit sexual
assault, how to reduce the risk of becoming a victim, and what to do if
you suspect that you or someone you know has been drugged, whether or not
a sexual assault has occurred.
It is important to
remember that the oldest and most common drug used to facilitate sexual
assault is alcohol.
"Date Rape"
Drugs
Rohypnol
(pronounced "ro-hip-nol"), Gamma
Hydroxybutrate (commonly called GHB), Ketamine,
and Gama
Butyrolactone (commonly called GBL), are the more common drugs that
have been used to commit sexual assaults. Although most of these drugs are
illegal in the United States (Ketamine has certain legal uses), cases
involving these "date-rape drugs" are becoming more common in both
university and off campus settings. Most often, the perpetrator will slip
the drug into an unsuspecting person's drink. When the drug begins to take
effect, the victim's inhibitions will be lowered, and they may appear
intoxicated whether or not they are actually drunk. The victim may
experience any and/or all of the following symptoms: nausea, dizziness,
paralysis or "heaviness" of limbs, tunnel vision or other visual
disturbances and respiratory problems. When mixed with alcohol, narcotics,
or other depressants, the effects of these drugs are intensified and may
cause temporary amnesia, blackouts, coma, or death.
Rohypnol is a hypnotic sedative ten times more powerful
than Valium. It previously came in the form of a white, dime-sized pill
that quickly dissolves in liquids and has no taste or odor. The
drug-maker, Hoffman-LaRoche, has changed the makeup of the drug because it
has been used to commit sexual assault. The newer form of Rohypnol now
dissolves more slowly and releases a blue dye. It may color light-colored
drinks and give a cloudy appearance to darker drinks. It is important to
remember that the older, less visible form of Rohypnol may still be in use
by some perpetrators. Other names for Rohypnol include Roofies, Roaches,
Rope, and the Forget Pill.
Potential
Effects:
- disorientation,
dizziness, and/or drowsiness beginning within 15 minutes to 1 hour after
ingestion;
- hot or cold
flashes;
- difficulty
speaking;
- partial paralysis
or heaviness in the limbs;
- partial or complete
inability to remember what happened after ingesting the drug;
- severe "hang over"
effects for up to 48 hours after ingestion, which may include headache,
nausea, and dizziness.
GHB
is a sedative. It is usually homemade and sold on the black market.
Like Rohypnol, GHB has made its way into the Rave and club scenes, as well
as to college campuses. It is a colorless, odorless substance that comes
in many forms including pill, powder, and most commonly, liquid. GHB
sometimes has a salty taste. Other names for GHB include Liquid X, Easy
Lay, Liquid Ecstasy, and Saltwater.
Potential
Effects:
- behavioral changes
similar to those associated with extreme drunkenness beginning 5 to 20
minutes after ingestion;
- nausea,
vomiting;
- dizziness;
- memory
impairment;
- loss of
consciousness.
Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic used mainly by
veterinarians, although it can be used as a human anesthetic in low doses.
The powder form of Ketamine can be snorted, mixed into drinks, or smoked;
the liquid form can be injected, mixed into drinks, or applied to smoking
materials. Other names for Ketamine include Special K, K, and
KitKat.
Potential
Effects:
- feelings of
dissociation such as feeling separated from your body;
- hallucinations;
- inability to feel
pain;
- decreased heart
rate and/or heart failure;
- decreased oxygen to
the muscles and brain.
GBL was
sold over the counter as a dietary supplement with claims that it builds
muscle, enhances sexual performance, and reduces stress. It is often sold
in health food stores under names such as Firewater, Regenerize, and
Revivarant. GBL comes in both a powder and liquid form, and is odorless,
colorless, and tasteless. When GBL is ingested, it breaks down into the
drug GHB (see above description) and has the same dangerous effects.
Because it breaks down into GHB, GBL is illegal by law. When enough of the
drug is ingested, it can cause periods of deep sleep or coma, amnesia, and
vomiting.
Drug-Induced Rape
Prevention and Punishment Act
In 1996, the
"Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act" was enacted. This bill
outlaws the use of Rohypnol, GHB, and other "date-rape drugs" and subjects
rapists to an additional 20 years in prison if they are convicted of using
these drugs to incapacitate their victims. The law also covers possession,
manufacture, or distribution of an illegal drug with intent to use it in
commission of a violent crime. Simple possession of these drugs with no
proven intent to commit assault carries a sentence of up to three years in
prison.
Steps to Reduce
Your Risk Of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
The perpetrator of
sexual assault is solely responsible for committing the assault, victims
are not at fault. There are steps that we all can take to reduce our risk
of assault.
- Go out with and
stay with friends - perpetrators isolate the victim to make
committing a sexual assault easier.
- Keep your drink
with you at all times - setting it down for even a second is enough
time for someone to tamper with it.
- Get your own
drinks - even if you know the person who is offering the
drinks.
- Avoid punch
bowls - or other drinks that are highly accessible to being tampered
with.
- Avoid taking
drinks that have candy or other objects in them - these objects may
be used to disguise the appearance or taste of drugs in the
drink.
- Confront rumors
or evidence of drugging - perpetrators use silence and secrecy to
commit assaults
- Get help for any
one who seems like they may have been drugged - even if you don't
know them, stay with them.
- Drink
responsibly - intoxication will lessen your awareness of what is
going on around you.
If at any time you
believe you have been a victim of Rohypnol, GHB, Ketamine, GBL, or another
drug, or you have information of these drugs' usage, please contact the
Rutgers University Police Department or our department, the Department of
Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim Assistance.
Click here
for for a list of useful resources and contact information.
Back to Sexual Violence,
Assault, and Rape page
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