“Date Rape Drugs” are commonly
associated with drug facilitated sexual assault and
rape. Below is information regarding some of these
commonly used drugs. If you feel you have ingested any
of these drugs, please don’t hesitate to call campus
security at X5555 and seek immediate medical attention.
If you have questions about testing for the presence of these
substances, please contact Leigh-Anne Royster (Coordinator
for Personal Health Programs and Community Well-Being),
Health Services or Alamance Regional Medical Center.
MDMA (Ecstasy)
MDMA (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic,
psychoactive drug chemically similar to the stimulant
methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Street names
for MDMA include "ecstasy," "XTC," and
"hug drug." In high doses, MDMA can interfere with
the body's ability to regulate temperature. On rare but
unpredictable occasions, this can lead to a sharp increase in
body temperature (hyperthermia), resulting in liver, kidney,
and cardiovascular system failure, and death. Because MDMA
can interfere with its own metabolism (breakdown within the
body), potentially harmful levels can be reached by repeated
drug use within short intervals.
Research in animals links MDMA exposure to long-term damage
to serotonin neurons. A study in nonhuman primates showed
that exposure to MDMA for only 4 days caused damage of
serotonin nerve terminals that was evident 6 to 7 years
later. While similar neurotoxicity has not been definitively
shown in humans, the wealth of animal research indicating
MDMA’s damaging properties suggests that MDMA is not a
safe drug for human consumption.
According to the Monitoring the Future** (MTF) survey,
NIDA's annual survey of drug use and associated attitudes
among the Nation's 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders,
12th-graders reported significant declines in lifetime***
MDMA use and perceived availability of the drug in 2005.
Perceived harmfulness in occasional MDMA use declined
significantly among 8th-graders, from 65.1 percent in 2004 to
60.8 percent in 2005.
Another national survey, the National Survey on Drug Use and
Health,**** reported 450,000 current ecstasy users in 2004,
which is similar to the number reported in 2003. Past year
ecstasy use declined from 3.7 percent in 2003 to 3.1 percent
in 2004 among young adults aged 18 to 25. Approximately
607,000 Americans used ecstasy for the first time in 2004.
The majority of these new users were 18 or older, and the
average age was 19.5 years.
GHB, Ketamine, and Rohypnol
GHB and Rohypnol are predominantly central nervous system
depressants. Because they are often colorless, tasteless, and
odorless, they can be added to beverages and ingested
unknowingly.
These drugs emerged several years ago as "date
rape" drugs.***** Because of concern about their abuse,
Congress passed the "Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and
Punishment Act of 1996" in October 1996. This
legislation increased Federal penalties for use of any
controlled substance to aid in sexual assault.
GHB
Since about 1990, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) has been used
in the U.S. for its euphoric, sedative, and anabolic (body
building) effects. It is a central nervous system depressant
that was widely available over-the-counter in health food
stores during the 1980s and until 1992. It was purchased
largely by body builders to aid in fat reduction and muscle
building. Street names include "liquid ecstasy,"
"soap," "easy lay," "vita-G,"
and "Georgia home boy."
Coma and seizures can occur following use of GHB. Combining
use with other drugs such as alcohol can result in nausea and
breathing difficulties. GHB may also produce withdrawal
effects, including insomnia, anxiety, tremors, and sweating.
GHB and two of its precursors, gamma butyrolactone (GBL) and
1,4 butanediol (BD), have been involved in poisonings,
overdoses, date rapes, and deaths.
Ketamine
Ketamine is an anesthetic that has been approved for both
human and animal use in medical settings since 1970; about 90
percent of the ketamine legally sold is intended for
veterinary use. It can be injected or snorted. Ketamine is
also known as "special K" or "vitamin
K."
Certain doses of ketamine can cause dream-like states and
hallucinations. In high doses, ketamine can cause delirium,
amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure,
depression, and potentially fatal respiratory problems.
Rohypnol
Rohypnol, a trade name for flunitrazepam, belongs to a class
of drugs known as benzodiazepines. When mixed with alcohol,
Rohypnol can incapacitate victims and prevent them from
resisting sexual assault. It can produce "anterograde
amnesia," which means individuals may not remember
events they experienced while under the effects of the drug.
Also, Rohypnol may be lethal when mixed with alcohol and/or
other depressants.
Rohypnol is not approved for use in the United States, and
its importation is banned. Illicit use of Rohypnol started
appearing in the United States in the early 1990s, where it
became known as "rophies," "roofies,"
"roach," and "rope."
Abuse of two other similar drugs appears to have replaced
Rohypnol abuse in some regions of the country. These are
clonazepam, marketed in the U.S. as Klonopin and in Mexico as
Rivotril, and alprazolam, marketed as Xanax.
For more science-based information on MDMA and other club
drugs www.ClubDrugs.govwww.Teens.drugabuse.govor
call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
Information at 1-800-729-6686. For a library
of prevention efforts regarding drug facilitated rapes and
sexual assault, please visit www.nsvrc.org
* These data are from the annual Drug Abuse Warning
Network, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, DHHS. The survey provides
information about emergency department visits that are
induced by or related to the use of an illicit drug or the
nonmedical use of a legal drug. The latest data are available
at 800-729-6686 or online at www.samhsa.gov.
** These data are from the 2005 Monitoring the Future
survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
National Institutes of Health, DHHS, and conducted annually
by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social
Research. The survey has tracked 12th-graders’ illicit
drug use and related attitudes since 1975; in 1991, 8th- and
10th-graders were added to the study. The latest data are
online at www.drugabuse.gov
.
*** "Lifetime" refers to use at least once during
a respondent's lifetime. "Annual" refers to use
at least once during the year preceding an individual's
response to the survey. "30-day" refers to use at
least once during the 30 days preceding an individual's
response to the survey.
**** NSDUH (formerly known as the National Household Survey
on Drug Abuse) is an annual survey of Americans age 12 and
older conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration. Copies of the latest survey are
available at www.samhsa.gov and from the National
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at
800-729-6686.
