2.5.1.5 Types of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault

Side effects of drugs used for drug-facilitated sexual assault include:

1. Decreasing the survivor’s inhibitions so that they might say ‘yes’ to something to which they would not normally say ‘yes’ and

2. Unconsciousness or memory loss, when someone does not remember what happened to them.

Here is a short list of some drugs that are often used for drug-facilitated sexual assault:

1. Rohypnol (‘Roofies’): This round white pill, similar in size to an aspirin, is a legal sleeping aid in many countries. It’s often crushed into powder so that it can be easily sprinkled onto food or added to liquids where it dissolves very quickly. Rohypnol is odorless, colorless and tasteless in powder form, and it takes about 30 minutes to notice its effects. Because of its use in drug-facilitated sexual assault, pharmaceutical companies tried to make Rohypnol turn blue when added to liquids, but they did not succeed. The drug remains almost impossible to detect.

2. Gamma-Hydroxybutyric (GHB): This clear or light-colored liquid also comes in powder form. It can be produced in a lab and is made with common, commercially-available chemicals.

3. Ketamine: A legal anesthetic, ketamine is an effective pain treatment that can cause amnesia.

4. MDMA/Ecstasy: Manufactured in labs, ecstasy has many names. If someone is on ecstasy, their inhibitions are lowered, and they experience a sense of euphoria; it can appear that they are giving consent, but if they are under the influence of a drug, they cannot consent.