Date rape drugs

• ALSO KNOWN AS: Club drugs; ecstasy; flunitrazepam; gamma hydroxybutyrate; ketamine; Rohypnol

DEFINITION: Date rape drugs are typically odorless, colorless, and tasteless substances that are often combined with alcohol and administered with the intent to commit sexual assault. The drugs sedate and incapacitate an unsuspecting person, leaving that person unable to resist a sexual assault or rape.

Common Date Rape Drugs

Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and ketamine are common date rape drugs. Alcohol and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, also known as ecstasy or Molly) are also used to commit sexual assaults. All of these drugs affect judgment and behavior and can put a person at risk for sexual assault or risky sexual activity.

Rohypnol use began to gain popularity in the United States in the early 1990s. It is a benzodiazepine (chemically similar to sedative-hypnotic drugs such as Valium or Xanax) and is illegal in the United States. It is legal in Europe and Mexico, where it is prescribed for sleep problems and used for anesthesia. It is exported to the United States illegally.

Rohypnol is a pill that dissolves in liquid. Some of these pills are small, round, and white. Newer pills are oval and green-gray in color. When placed into a drink, the pills’ dye makes clear liquids turn bright blue and dark drinks turn cloudy. However, this color change is often difficult to see in a dark drink, such as cola or dark beer, or in a darkened room, such as a nightclub or bar. Also, pills with no dye are available. The pills can also be ground into a powder.

GHB (Xyrem) is a central nervous system depressant that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 for use in the treatment of narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). This approval came with severe restrictions, including its use only for the treatment of narcolepsy, and with the requirement that it be monitored by the FDA through a patient registry.

GHB is also a metabolite of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It exists naturally in the brain, but at much lower concentrations than those found when GHB is abused. GHB comes in a few forms: a liquid with no odor or color, a white powder, and a pill. It can make a drink taste slightly salty.

Ketamine is legal in the United States for use as an anesthetic for humans and animals. It was once used mostly for animals, but has become a beneficial mental health treatment for adults. However, it does have the potential for abuse, and veterinary clinics are sometimes burglarized for their ketamine supplies. Ketamine comes as a liquid and a white powder.

Chloroform and aromatic hydrocarbons, such as paint thinners, acrylic spray paints, cleaning products, gasoline, nail polish, hair dye, airplane glue, and plastic cement, are volatile substances that have been documented as date rape drugs, or drugs used for sexual assault. Perpetrators soak cloths or fabric in the product and force the victim to inhale the scent, often causing them to become unconscious.

Effects on the Human Body

The sedative-hypnotic effects of date rape drugs are powerful. The drugs can affect a person quickly and without that person’s knowledge, which makes them especially appealing to potential perpetrators of assault. The length of time that the effects last varies and depends on how much of the drug is taken and if the drug is mixed with other drugs or alcohol. Alcohol makes the drugs even stronger and can cause serious health problems, including death.

The effects of Rohypnol occur within thirty minutes of ingestion and can last for several hours. A victim may look and act like someone who is drunk. They might have trouble standing, might have slurred speech, or might pass out. GHB takes effect in about fifteen minutes and can last three or four hours. A small amount of GHB can have a big effect. Ketamine is fast-acting. A victim might be aware of what is happening but unable to move. Ketamine also causes memory problems. Later, a victim might not remember what occurred while drugged.

It is often difficult for a person to know if they have been drugged and assaulted. Most victims do not remember details of the incident. The victim might not be aware of the attack until eight or twelve hours after it occurred, after the drug effects wear off.

Date rape drugs can leave the body quickly. By the time a victim receives help, the drug involved in the attack is likely out of the person’s system. However, there are other signs that indicate a person might have been drugged, including the following: in which the person feels drunk and has not had any alcohol or feels like the effects of drinking alcohol are stronger than usual; wakes up feeling hungover and disoriented or having no memory of a period of time; remembers having a drink, but cannot recall anything after that; finds that his or her clothes are torn or are not fitting properly; or feels like he or she had sex but cannot remember having sex.

Persons who have unknowingly ingested a date rape drug should get medical care immediately and should notify authorities of the incident, even if an assault has not occurred. As with any sexual assault, it is important that the victim not urinate, douche, bathe or shower, brush teeth, wash hands, change clothes, or eat or drink before seeing a medical professional. Doing so may destroy evidence of the assault. The hospital will use a rape kit to collect any evidence. The victim should ask the hospital to take a urine sample that can be used to test for date rape drugs. Rohypnol stays in the body for several hours and can be detected in the urine up to seventy-two hours after ingestion. GHB leaves the body within twelve hours.

Bibliography

Adams, Colleen. Rohypnol: Roofies—“The Date Rape Drug.” Rosen, 2007.

Albright, J. A., et al. “Detecting Ketamine in Beverage Residues: Application in Date Rape Detection.” Drug Testing and Analysis, vol. 4, no. 3–4, 2011.

AlOtaibi, Sadeem O., et al. “The Use of Volatile Substances in Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault: A Systematic Review.” Cureus, vol. 15, no. 1, 5 Jan. 2023, doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33430. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

Bowen, Alison. "Date Rapes Are Hard to Investigate and Prosecute. A New Illinois Bill Would More Clearly Define Consent in These Cases." Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2021, www.chicagotribune.com/people/health/ct-health-date-rape-drug-facilitated-sexual-assault-20210708-rrh6vog3tbdprm5xjdlixmalhi-story.html. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

“Commonly Abused Drugs Chart.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, Apr. 2012, nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/cadchart.pdf. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

“Date Rape Drugs.” Office on Women's Health, 22 Feb. 2021, womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/date-rape-drugs. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

Németh, Z., B. Kun, and Z. Demetrovics. “The Involvement of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate in Reported Sexual Assaults: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Psychopharmacology, vol. 24, no. 9, 2010, pp. 1281–87.