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Street Name / Slang Terms
Date-Rape Drug, La Roche, R2, Rib, Roach, Roofenol, Roofies, Rope, Rophies, Ruffies

 

What are they ?
Rohypnolis the brand name for a drug called flunitrazepam, a powerful sedative. Flunitrazepam has never been approved for medical use in the U.S., therefore, doctors cannot prescribe it and pharmacists cannot dispense it. However, it is legally prescribed in over 60 other countries and is widely available in Mexico, Colombia, and Europe where it is used for the treatment of insomnia and as a pre-anesthetic.

What does they look like ?
A small white tablet with no taste or odor when dissolved in a drink.

 

How are they used ?
Swallowed as a pill, dissolved in a drink, or snorted. “Roofies” are frequently used in combination with alcohol and other drugs. They are sometimes taken to enhance a heroin high, or to mellow or ease the experience of coming down from a cocaine or crack high. Used with alcohol, roofies produce disinhibition and amnesia.

 

Short Term Effects
Like other benzodiazepines (such as Valium, Librium, Xanax, and Halcion), flunitrazepam’s pharmacological effects include sedation, muscle relaxation, reduction in anxiety, and prevention of convulsions. However, flunitrazepam’s sedative effects are approximately 7–10 times more potent than diazepam (Valium). The effects of flunitrazepam appear approximately 15–20 minutes after administration and last 4–6 hours. Residual effects can be found 12 hours or more after administration.

   Flunitrazepam causes partial amnesia — individuals are unable to remember certain events that they experienced while under the influence of the drug. This effect is particularly dangerous when flunitrazepam is used to aid in the commission of sexual assault — victims may not be able to clearly recall the assault, assailant, or events surrounding the assault.

   It’s difficult to estimate just how many flunitrazepam-facilitated rapes have occurred nationally. Often, biological samples are taken from the victim when the effects of the drug have already passed and only residual amounts remain in the body fluids. These amounts are difficult, if not impossible, to detect using standard screening tests. If flunitrazepam exposure is to be detected, urine samples need to be collected within 72 hours and subjected to sensitive analytical tests. The problem is compounded by the onset of amnesia after ingestion of the drug, which causes the victim to be uncertain about the facts surrounding the rape. This uncertainty may lead to critical delays or even reluctance to report the rape and to provide appropriate biological samples for toxicology testing.

 

Long-Term Effects
Chronic use of flunitrazepam can result in physical dependence and the appearance of withdrawal syndrome when the drug is discontinued.

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