"Date-Rape" Drug: Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam)
January, 1997

DEA toughens penalties as use of Rohypnol rises among teens, addicts and would-be rapists. Within three months the DEA will put the "date-rape" drug Rohypnol in the same category as heroin and LSD to combat a sharp rise in smuggling, trafficking and possession. Commonly known as "roofies", the powerful hypnotic meets all requirements for being declared a Schedule 1 drug. This is needed to increase penalties and prevent it from becoming a "monster".

The drug is not approved in the USA but it is legally prescribed in 64 countries for insomnia and as a preoperative anesthetic. The drug itself is manufactured in Switzerland. It is seven to ten times more potent than Valium. The drug produces profound, prolonged sedation, a feeling of well-being and short-term memory loss. It has become increasingly popular among teens and young adults who take it at parties, night clubs and rave dances for the high. It is sold illegally for $1 to $5 a tablet.

It has become a tool effective in spiking the drinks of young women because the drug is odorless, colorless and tasteless and will cause sedation and euphoric effects within 15 minutes. The addition of alcohol and marijuana will heighten the effects. Females have reported passing out and waking briefly to find they have been sexually assaulted. Some have no memory at all. As of March of this year, the DEA documented 2,460 federal, state and local cases involving Rohypnol in 32 states. Since 1990 the U.S. has seized over 310,184 tablets, more than 90% after 1992.

The chemical name, Flunitrazepam, tells us the drug is short acting Benzodiazepine but has a fairly long terminal half-life. It can produce some respiratory depression, especially when combined with narcotic analgesics. The range of dosage for Flunitrazepam is 0.5-2.0 mg., although 2 mg. is usually regarded as necessary to induce and maintain sleep.

Newly developed testing procedures have allowed our laboratory to offer testing for Flunitrazepam. Utilizing GC/MS technology, the major urinary excreted metabolite, 7-aminoflunitrazepam, is detected in relatively low concentrations. This new procedure far surpasses the poor cross-reactivity Flunitrazepam has with current EMIT/FPIA Benzodiazepines testing.

Please contact the laboratory for additional information and pricing.

Ref: The Baltimore Sun/AML

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