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"Roofies" - Date Rape Drug
by Trinka Porrata
Abuse of flunitrazepam, trade name Rohypnol, also called roofies,
roches, ruffies, ropies, R-2 (old 2 mg tablets), R-1 (new 1 mg tablets),
the forget-me pill, Pingas (recent name in Northern California)
reached epidemic proportions in Florida and then Texas and was becoming
a growing problem in California. Unfortunately, it was not a controlled
substance in California and people engaged in street sales in the
downtown area were untouchable to field enforcement officers. As
its use in sexual assaults came to light, legislation was initiated
to schedule it. Flunitrazepam became a Schedule IV Controlled Substance
in California on January 1, 1997; and, the good news is, a substantial
drop in its availability, at least in the streets of Los Angeles,
has been noted since that date. Flunitrazepam is also Schedule IV
federally, though effort is being made to upgrade it to Schedule
I.
NOTE: Possession of flunitrazepam (trade name Rohypnol) is now covered
by 11377 of the Health and Safety Code, and possession for sale
and sales are covered by 11378/11379 H&S.
During 1995, the Los Angeles area experienced an influx of Rohypnol
(flunitrazepam), a drug related to Valium (diazepam), but ten times
more powerful than Valium in terms of its sedative powers. Both
are classified as benzodiazepines. It is a small white tablet, most
commonly manufactured by Hoffman-La Roche. The pill will say Roche
2 or Roche 1, depending on the dosage, with a circle around the
number, and may be either single or double scored on the opposite
side. Since Roche stopped making 2 mg. tablets, we are now seeing
primarily the 1 mg. tablets. In California, it was first most commonly
encountered in the blister pack, though in other states it was being
found unpackaged and even in containers marked "Roche Vitamins"
(Roche does not manufacture vitamins). It may be in liquid (injectable)
form, though this would be rare. Also, since the law went into effect,
they are being more careful, popping them out of the blister pack
and concealing them in smaller packaging. The new 1 mg tablets are
generally sold in bottles.
Powder form was encountered in one case in California involving
the California Highway Patrol in the LA area. This was still sealed
in the blister pack, but had been crushed into powder form. In this
form, it is quite convenient to slip a single dose into a drink.
A central nervous system depressant, Rohypnol is being used in conjunction
with alcohol or other drugs or as an enhancer to or a substitute
for heroin. By choice or sometimes simply because some unsophisticated
drug users are seeking pills with the name "Roche" on
them, people are also abusing other drugs, such as clonazepam (sold
in the U.S. as Klonopin and in Mexico as Rivotril), bromazepam (a
benzo not currently controlled in California but being seen more
and more often), Mexican Valium (which is different in appearance
than U.S. Valium), Atavan and Xanax.
Clonazepam is often confused by both suspects and officers since
it also says Roche 2; the identifying difference is that instead
of a circle around the 2, there will be a dot before and after it.
Bromazepam, which is currently NOT controlled in California but
is a Schedule IV drug federally, is also being abused along border
cities and has been turning up in Los Angeles in major seizures
of illegal pharmacies. Another Roche product coming in from Mexico,
bromazepam (Levotan) is called R3 and/or R6 by users and is also
a benzodiazepine.
Common first only in Texas and South Florida among teenagers, Rohypnol
is sold in the streets of Los Angeles, primarily in the downtown
area. Commonly called "Roofies," it has been receiving
widespread media attention as a "rape drug," because of
incidents of it being slipped into a victim's drink, rendering her
incapable of resisting and unable to recall what happened for an
eight to 12 hour period. For this reason, women are encouraged to
pick new "dates" carefully, a difficult feat at best,
and to watch their drinks carefully in public establishments and
at parties and to simply bypass that drink if it has been unattended
or if any suspicion arises. Colorless, odorless and tasteless, there
is little defense against it. Fortunately, its abuse in California
has not reached the epidemic proportions witnessed elsewhere.
In handling sexual assault cases involving allegations of drug use,
officers are encouraged to check for possible evidence such as the
glass the victim drank from, any unmarked containers where drinks
were mixed (for possible evidence of liquid GHB, another rape drug),
blister packs or other containers from Rohypnol or other prescribed
type drugs in the trash can or on the suspect's person, etc. Potential
witnesses are particularly important in these complex investigations.
Officers should also assure that a medical examination is provided
as soon as possible. In cases where GHB is suspected, having samples
taken should be considered a truly urgent necessity, due to its
extremely short duration in the body.
NOTE: I frequently hear, "Well, we had a case that sounded
exactly like roofies, but the hospital said no, that tests were
negative for roofies. So, we decided she must have been just drunk."
Depending on what agency is involved, the news all too often gets
worse with the next statement being, "Oh, they didn’t
keep any blood or urine samples for us, and we figured it wasn’t
important anyway since they had already done the tests." Wrong
answer!!!! Hospitals conduct standard drug "screening"
tests only. The benzodiazepine screen does NOT pick up flunitrazepam
and some other benzos. A confirmation test by a competent lab is
required to detect flunitrazepam, gamma hydroxy butyrate and other
out of the ordinary drugs. Officers MUST specifically request such
testing. The benzo screen is rather weak. Hopefully toxicologists
will soon develop a more definitive benzo screen. More on this subject
later.
Rohypnol was first noticed in South Florida in early 1992. It was
coming from Mexico and Columbia and was believed to have been introduced
by (and named for) roofing construction crews who came to Florida
after the terrible devastation of Hurricane Andrew. Mail packages
containing from 100 to 30,000 pills were intercepted from Columbia.
In 1992, Florida reported 11 cases, and 38 in 1993. In 1994 this
increased to 144 cases. For 1995, 342 cases were reported. It continues
to be a significant problem, rivaled now by GHB abuse. Rohypnol
is neither manufactured nor sold legally in the United States: it
is sold by prescription in more than 64 countries in Europe and
Latin America. The Drug Enforcement Administration would like to
see this drug upgraded to Schedule I at the federal level. Several
states have already gone to Schedule I. The original proposal by
LAPD called for Schedule I placement. It might seem logical to keep
Rohypnol in Schedule IV, along with diazepam (Valium) and the related
"pam" drugs (the manufacturer's preference), but those
drugs are legally manufactured and prescribed in the U.S.
NOTE: Prior to Spring 1996, travelers could declare up to 180 doses
of this drug for personal use with a foreign prescription; that
is no longer the case. Flunitrazepam simply does not legally exist
in the US.
It was recommended that this drug be placed in Schedule I, which
is reserved for those drugs with: 1) a high potential for abuse,
2) no legitimate medical use in treatment, and 3) no accepted levels
of safety. According to the manufacturer, there is no action pending
or planned for introducing flunitrazepam as a prescription drug
in the United States. Intense controversy was encountered on the
scheduling issue here, as in other states. The manufacturer professes
no opposition to controlling this drug, and claims to have made
some modifications in their international market to reduce abuse.
Roche is concerned that Schedule I assignment might impact the company's
international "image" and influence other countries to
ban flunitrazepam and is therefore willing to spend large amounts
of money to defend this prime money-making drug. Sales of $100 million
were reported by Roche in 1995 for this drug alone.
Roche recently demonstrated a "new" version of Rohypnol
which will color the drink it is dropped into. While this got them
a lot of "good press," this change in composition of the
pill must go through the approval cycle of every country in which
is it marketed. It may be a long time before the new version is
actually in production. It isn’t really visible in tea or cola
if the room is dark, which would be common in a bar or at a party.
The pill takes 20 minutes to dissolve and change color (blue), which
may be good, assuming that the drug itself isn’t released any
faster than the coloring agent. A potential victim could thus consume
the entire drink before it kicked in. On the other hand, this would
mean the victim wouldn’t be aware that she was at risk and
she would remain in the company of the suspect longer, giving him
additional opportunities.
Flunitrazepam is most often ingested orally, often in conjunction
with alcohol or other drugs. Effects begin within 30 minutes, peak
within two hours, and may persist eight to twelve hours or more.
Adverse effects include decreased blood pressure, memory impairment,
drowsiness, visual disturbances, dizziness, confusion, gastrointestinal
disturbances, and urinary retention. Though classified as a depressant,
this drug may on occasion induce excitability or aggressive behavior.
In countries where this drug is legal, it is used in the short-term
treatment of insomnia and as a pre-anesthetic medication. It can
cause dependence and withdrawal symptoms, including hallucinations,
delirium, and cardiovascular collapse.
Ironically, while a popular teenage drug in other areas, in Los
Angeles it is being encountered primarily among the hardcore users
of heroin and cocaine. Personnel assigned to Narcotics Division
and patrol have been encountering this drug daily in the downtown
area, primarily among known heroin users. In 1996, Rohypnol was
being sold in Rampart Area by Crazy Riders gang members, who also
admit to using them in their gang parties. The seller may have a
homemade pouch or body-pack belt, kept inside the waistband (with
velcro) so that he may casually dispense the pills individually
or in a strip from the hidden pouch. The pills have always sold
for $1-$6 each (actual cost in Mexico 22 cents to 32 cents per pill).
In early 1998, more than 1,000 roofies were purchased from the violent
Mara Salva Trucha (MS) gang in LAPD’s Wilshire Area during
a 90-day federal and local task force. Since the new law took effect
on January 1, 1997, Rohypnol is still in the streets, but much more
difficult to find. In the words of the pill pushers, "It's
just another illegal drug now." The Juvenile Division School
Buy Program did encounter Rohypnol in one case during late 1997.
Also since the law took effect, the price seems to be closer to
$5 or $6, even for the 1 mg. pill, which may really mean the price
has doubled. Northern California reported up to $10 per pill at
one point recently.
Rophypnol is also deeply entrenched in the Hollywood world of polydrug
users. Rock star Kurt Cobain overdosed on Rohypnol and champagne
shortly before committing suicide. One death (in Texas) and four
or five in Florida have now been deemed flunitrazepam related. That
number may be closer to eight in the near future as DEA follows
up on additional information on other cases.
Numerous rape investigations throughout the state have involved
allegations of Rohypnol or GHB or other drugs being used. Perhaps
most widely publicized is the case from Marina Del Rey involving
the Romanian twin brothers accused of raping several victims using
Rohypnol. Prosecution in that case is underway now (May 1998). Rohypnol
especially causes retrograde amnesia, limiting recall of the crime.
Thus, these allegations are difficult to verify and protocols for
handling these cases by the detectives and in the crime labs are
being reviewed. A victim may experience the equivalent of an "alcoholic
black out" and may be up and functioning at least part of the
time (leaving the bar with stranger but not really in mental control)
with potentially no recall for the eight to 12 hours of impact.
Or, she may experience "cameo appearances" by the suspect,
coming to for brief periods to "see" him raping or undressing
her, but unable to resist. In my opinion, many of the true Rohypnol
cases are never reported in the first place because of the dramatic
loss of memory and uncertainty of what took place.
Many cases that are reported, in my opinion, are being overlooked
or lost because of testing problems regarding this drug. Many crime
labs are not really prepared to test for this drug. Testing for
the drug itself (in pill form, for example) is relatively simple,
but testing in bodily fluids is much more difficult. The problem
is that the benzodiazepine screening tests currently in use are
not sensitive, or at least not consistently sensitive, to flunitrazepam.
Therefore, a negative benzo screen does NOT really reflect the absence
of this drug, though that would be the assumption. The scientific
community is responding by focusing on definitive procedures. I’ve
had agencies tell me that the hospital did tests at the time of
reporting and said it was negative for various drugs, including
flunitrazepam. If the case fits the roofies scenario, you need confirmation
tests to be done. The manufacturer, Hoffman-La Roche, offers a free
testing program for sexual assault cases only, but it is simply
not recommended that law enforcement use this resource. Many times
I hear people cite Roche lab’s statistics. Out of hundreds
of tests, flunitrazepam came up only five times. Since many agencies
do not submit to that lab, it is not representative. Furthermore,
one county in Florida got positives for this drug in seven of 20
cases.
Re the testing problem, an article in the Police Chief magazine,
April 1998 issue, written by Det. A.G. Gardiner, Jr., Prince William
County Police Department, Woodbridge, Virginia, states, "The
instrument threshold level should be set at .02 ng/ml. Most machines
are currently set at 20 ng/ml, which will be unable to detect the
trace flunitrazepam. Laboratory technicians must be made aware of
this information prior to examining urine evidence." Actually,
I’ve had labs tell me their instruments are set at 200 ng/ml.
At least seven incidents of counterfeit Rohypnol have recently been
documented from Florida to Hawaii. In two cases, the markings were
RH 2 on the front, which is similar to the Roche pills made in Argentina,
but were incorrect since RH should have been in a hexagon and the
2 has a circle around it on real pills.
In one instance, they contained flunitrazepam and in the other,
nitrazepam. Twice pills with the actual Roche logo were found. Customs
recovered some in counterfeit blister packs which contained only
boric acid. In the Honolulu case, the fake pills contained nitrazepam
and an antihistamine. Counterfeit 2 mg. tablets have more recently
appeared along the border of California and Texas. They will have
a Roche 2 logo which appears to be correct but are slightly smaller
than the 2 mg. should be and are usually slightly off color, pink
or tan. These counterfeit pills DO contain flunitrazepam, but are
not a Roche product.
Terminology for Rohypnol in California includes: Mexican Valium,
Roofies, Ruffies, Roches, Roaches, R-1 or R-2,Poor Man's Quaaludes,
the "forget pill" or the "forget-me pill." The
name is often mispronounced as Ropanol, Robinol, Rohibinol or Reynol.
Flunitrazepam is a hypnotic sedative prescribed legally in at least
64 countries outside the United States for diminishing anxiety,
skeletal and muscle relaxation and sleep depravation. It is also
widely abused in those countries, especially by drug addicts. According
to the manufacturer, it is used in "conscious surgery"
where the patient's cooperation is needed; the amnesia effect of
this drug is desirable in this case so that the patient will not
recall the surgery. The therapeutic dose varies from .05 to 2 mg.
Effects are fairly long lasting. With a 1 mg. dose, blood levels
peak one to two hours after ingestion and fall to one half of their
peak after 16 to 36 hours. While the manufacturer may cite a 72-hour
period for testing, the window of opportunity should be considered
approximately 36 hours. After that point in time, the level of its
presence makes a dramatic drop and then sets a very low mark on
the graph, possibly below the standard cutoff levels. A 2 mg. tablet
is considered seven to ten times more potent than one Valium (diazepam)
by weight in relation to its sedative impact.
Especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, flunitrazepam
may cause disinhibition, amnesia and prolonged blackouts. Sexual
assault victims occasionally report brief periods of lucid recall
during the blackout, but find they are unable to physically resist
or escape and lapse back into the blackout. Many report that they
awaken in approximately ten to 12 hours, but may be fatigued, confused
and unable to focus attention for up to two days after ingestion.
Ongoing use of Rohypnol may lead to dependence.
Chronic users experience a lessening effect of the amnesia and unconsciousness
and develop dependence on this drug. A chronic user may ingest up
to three or more 2 mg. tablets without losing consciousness.
CONCLUSION:
Flunitrazepam poses a serious challenge for law enforcement. Every
agency and every individual officer should make an effort to become
familiar with this drug. It is an officer safety hazard, especially
to those working undercover, and should be of concern to every officer
in terms of personal family and friends.
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