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GHB,
GBL and 1,4BD as Date Rape Drugs
GHB, GBL, and BD
1,4 have gained notoriety as drugs used to facilitate sexual assault,
adding an urgency to law enforcement efforts to pursue traffickers of
these drugs.
More Info
The dangers of GHB,
GBL, and BD 1,4 as "Date Rape Drugs"
- These drugs render
the victim incapable of resisting sexual advances.
- Sexual Assaults
facilitated by these drugs can be difficult to prosecute or even recognize
because:
- Victims may not
be aware that they ingested a drug at all. GHB and its analogues are
invisible when dissolved in water, and are odorless. They are somewhat
salty tasting, but are indiscernible when dissolved in beverages such
as sodas, liquor, or beer.
- Due to memory
problems induced by these drugs, the victim may not be aware of the
attack until 8-12 hours after it occurred.
- The drugs are
metabolized quickly, so there may be little physical evidence to support
the claim that the drugs were used to facilitate an assault.
- Memory impairment
caused by the drugs also eliminates evidence about the attack.
Awareness of GHB's
use to facilitate sexual assault is largely due to the efforts of the
family of Samantha Reid. Reid, a fifteen-year old Michigan girl, died
after ingesting GHB that was slipped into her soda by a classmate. The
law that declared GHB a Schedule I drug is named in Reid's honor.
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