Rohypnol and GHB: The Popular 'Date-Rape Drugs'

With so many teens going off to college and starting their 'young adult life', I thought in this week's feature we would focus on the date-rape drugs. I was talking with one of my adult children this past week, she's back for the summer after her first year at college. Being my blatant self, I asked her if she had seen any problems with 'the date-rape drugs'. She said she didn't ever experience it or had any of her friends, but that there had been rumors this year about a frat house that uses it often. Needless to say, she steers clear from their events. (thank god!)

The two popular date-rape drugs are Rohypnol and GHB. According to `Date-rape' drug a growing problem, by Kelly Neal:

'Jane Maxwell, the director of the Needs Assessment Department at the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, said "club drugs" such as Rohypnol and GHB are on the rise.

Gamma-hydroxyloutyrate, commonly known as GHB, is another date-rape drug, although less popular than Rohypnol. Such club drugs "are on the upswing, especially among college students and people in their twenties," Maxwell said.

But these age groups are not the only ones experimenting with Roofies. Studies show a growing number of seventh- to 12th-graders have tried the drug.' So, since this does seem to be a growing problem, I'll reiterate my stand on drugs for parents of teens. Knowledge is power, the more you know, and the more your teen knows, the better capable you will be to handle this issue. Think of it as a yearly dental cleaning, not a lot of fun, but it may prevent cavaties.

Rohypnol - the brand name for the drug Flunitrazepam, is manufactured by the pharmaceutical firm Hoffmann-LaRoche & Co. , of Basel, Switzerland, and is said to be ten times stronger than valium. The government banned the importation of Rohypnol, but not the pocession, since it is such a growing threat to teen-agers and young adults and has no legitimate therapeutic use. The high is produces usually lasts from 2 to 8 hours and its victims have no memory of the events that happen during that time. GHB - stands for Gamma-Hyroxy Butyrate. In Europe, GHB is used as a general anesthetic and in treatment of anxiety, stress, insomnia, narcolepsy, alcoholism, and alcohol withdrawal. It is also used as an aid to childbirth. It is not approved in the US and has been banned from over-the-counter sale by the FDA.

Both of these drugs are odorless, and colorless, and can be slipped to an unsuspecting victim in a drink. Hoffmann-LaRoche & Co., is outraged by that fact that their drug, Rohypnol, is being abused in such a way, and is coming out with a form of the drug that when mixed with achohol, turns the drink blue, and makes it clumpy.