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Date
Rape Drugs are a Growing Problem.
As we often say in the martial
arts, “awareness is the best defense,” so here are some important facts
about Date Rape Drugs along with preventative measures that can help
make your students more aware of this danger.
By Mark Glazier - President, Nutrabio.com
“I woke up. I couldn’t
remember anything. I noticed vomit on the bed and stuck in my hair. He was
naked and I was naked. He said we made love.” This emotional testimony came
from a 25 year old girl who was a victim of date rape after an illegal drug
was unknowingly slipped into her drink. It’s sickening fact that date rape
is not uncommon; today 1 in every 4 female college students will be a victim
of rape or attempted rape.
“I did come to for a bit,
45 seconds to a minute, while he was raping me. This guy could have sawed me
in half and I wouldn’t have known the difference.” Date rape drugs, like the
one slipped into this women’s drink can render a victim completely helpless
and are so strong that they often cause memory loss and unconsciousness.
According to law enforcement officials the problem is getting worse and not
enough is being done to prevent it.
Date rape drugs can
render a victim completely helpless and are so strong that they often cause
memory loss and unconsciousness. The most common
abuse of date rape drugs is by rapists slipping the drug into a victim’s
drink. Within a few moments, the victim will appear drunk and helpless.
Often the perpetrator will become a Good Samaritan and offer to escort the
victim home where they are sexually abused. When the victim regains
consciousness, he or she has little or no memory of the events.
What exactly are date
rape drugs? Technically speaking, it’s any substance that renders you
incapable of saying no or asserting yourself and can be used to commit rape.
This can include alcohol, marijuana, designer or club drugs like ecstasy,
sleeping pills and even cold medications. However, the term "date rape drug"
usually applies to the drugs Rohypnol, gamma hydroxy butyrate and ketamine
hydrochloride.
Rohypnol
Rohypnol is a brand name for flunitrazepam, a sleeping pill
marketed by Roche Pharmaceuticals. Rohypnol is a very potent tranquilizer
similar to Valium, but up to 10 times stronger.
The most common side effects include;
sedation, dizziness, confusion,
disorientation, muscle relaxation, slowing of psychomotor responses and loss
of memory.
Rohypnol can make it difficult for the victim
to speak while taking away their normal inhibitions and leaving them
completely helpless. Eventually, the victim will pass out and upon wakening
will have little or no recollection of the events that occurred.
Side effects begin approximately 20-30 minutes after taking
the drug and peak within two hours. Depending on the dosage, the effects
usually last up to 8 hours. The pills are small
and white with a split-pill line on one side and the word "ROCHE" with the
number 1 or 2 in a circle stamped on the other. They are quickly dissolved
in liquid especially when crushed first.
The drug is often distributed on the street in bubble
packaging which makes it appear legitimate and legal. Rohypnol is reportedly
sold for $2.00 to $4.00 per tablet.
On the street Rohypnol is often called:
Rophy, Ruffles, Roofies, Ruffies, Ruff Up, Rib, Roach 2, R2,
R2-Do-U, Roche, Rope, Ropies, Circles, Circes, Forget It, Forget-Me-pill,
Mexican Valium.
Ketamine Hydrochloride
Ketamine is a legal drug
sold as a veterinary sedative or hospital grade anesthesia and goes by the
brand names Ketaset or Ketalar. It is in the same family of drugs as PCP and
when used in humans it renders the user vaguely aware of, but comfortably
detached from, all bodily sensations.
The most common effects
include; delirium, vivid hallucinations, cardiac excitement, mild
respiratory depression, confusion, irrationality, violent or aggressive
behavior, vertigo, ataxia, slurred speech, delayed reaction time, euphoria,
altered body image, analgesia, amnesia, and coma.
Side effects begin approximately 10-20 minutes after taking
the drug and last up to 3 hours. The effects
last less than 3 hours and the drug is detectable in the system up to 48
hours depending on the method of ingestion. Since it is often mixed with
other mind-altering drugs, like heroin and cocaine, many people do not ever
realize they have been given this substance. In undiluted form it looks like
an off-white powder, in diluted form it looks like slightly cloudy water.
On the street Ketamine is often called:
Special K, Super K, K, OK, KO, Vitamin K, Kid Rock, Ket Kat,
Make-Her-Mine.
Gamma Hydroxy
Butyrate (GHB)
GHB is an odorless,
colorless, liquid that acts on the central nervous system as a
depressant/anesthesia. It is illegal in the United States, Canada and many
parts of Europe. The most common effects include: euphoria, amnesia,
intoxication, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, amnesia, visual hallucinations,
hypotension, brady-cardia, severe respiratory depression, and coma.
Side effects begin approximately
10 - 15 minutes after ingestion. The effects last for 3 - 6
hours when taken without alcohol and 36 - 72 hours when mixed with alcohol
or other drugs. In very high dosages unconsciousness, or even coma, can
occur within 5 minutes. GHB looks exactly like water so detection can be
difficult.
On the street GHB
is often called: G, Easy EZ Lay, Liquid Ecstasy, Ellie, Clear X,
Liquid X, Liquid E, X-rater, XTC, Chemical X, Liquid Dream, Scoop, Scoop
Her, Get-Her-to-Bed, Soap, Gook, Grievous Bodily Harm, Georgia Home Boy,
Natural Sleep-500, or Gamma 10.
Awareness is the best
defense, so here are some preventative measures you can share with your
friends and family to make them more aware of this dangerous problem.
1.
Don’t leave
your drink unattended while talking,
dancing, using the restroom, or making a phone. Discard any drinks that
you have left unattended.
2.
Don’t share or exchange drinks or accept open drinks that are being passed
around. (Especially punch bowls.)
3. Don't accept
beverages from someone you do not know well and trust or that you did not
open yourself.
4. Don’t drink
anything that has an unusual taste or appearance (e.g., salty taste,
excessive foam, unexplained residue).
5. At a
bar or club, accept drinks only from the bartender, waiter or waitress. If
someone offers to buy you a drink, go with them to the bar and watch the
bartender make your drink.
6. Be
alert to the behavior of friends. Anyone appearing disproportionately
intoxicated in relation to the amount of alcohol they have consumed may
have consumed a tampered beverage.
7. Anyone
who suspects that they have ingested a tampered drink or sedative-like
substance should be taken to a hospital emergency room or should call 911
for an ambulance. Be sure to ask for a urine sample and try to keep a
sample of the beverage for analysis.
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