What are Date Rape Drugs?

What is GHB?

GHB is gamma hydroxy-butyrate. It is chemically similar to a substance that is found in every cell of the human body. Some users claim that this means it's safe, but they are wrong. GHB is a depressant, slowing down brain and body processes, and without a doctor's supervision, using any depressant is very hazardous.

In the past, doctors have used GHB to treat insomnia, childbirth problems, anxiety, and a few other problems. Some weightlifters claim the drug helps build muscle, but no scientific studies have been able to show those benefits. GHB was outlawed by the U.S. Federal government in 1990 because of the ease of accidental overdose and addiction potential.

Two of the ingredients of street GHB are a particular engine degreaser and a drain cleaner. Although it is sometimes found in a powder or tablet, GHB is usually liquid, which users sip from bottle caps. The drug is clear and odorless and tastes like salt water, but when mixed with a sweet or strong-flavored drink, its taste is mostly covered up.

What is Rohypnol?

Rohypnol is the brand name of a drug called flunitrazepam. It is a surgical anesthetic or sleeping pill used legally by doctors around the world. It is about 10 times more potent than most common prescription sleeping pills. Rohypnol is illegal in the U.S. and Canada, but is smuggled in from other countries.

The pills are usually round, white, and labeled "Roche," with a circled number "1" or "2." Sometimes, the pills are ground up into a powder. Rohypnol dissolves quickly in liquid. It has a bitter taste when mixed in a drink, but like GHB, its taste can be mostly covered.

The good news about Rohypnol is that its manufacturer, Hoffman-LaRoche, has made a new formulation of the drug that could be harder to abuse. The newer version of Rohypnol will turn blue when it is put in a drink, and it will take longer to dissolve. Naturally, someone who has a dark-colored drink will still need to take extra steps to be safe. Everyone else should be better protected against abuse by means of this drug.

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine was developed in the 1960s as an anesthetic for surgeries. It is closely related to PCP. Both are called "dissociatives," which means that they cause a splitting from reality. Ketamine is a legal prescription drug, used mostly in veterinary medicine.

Ketamine is found in a white powder or a liquid in small pharmaceutical bottles. It may be snorted, injected into a muscle, or taken by mouth. Ketamine is odorless and tasteless. It works super quickly, so if someone put it in your drink you would lose consciousness in less than a minute.