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Drug-Facilitated Crime FAQ
Drug-Facilitated Crime is any crime that involves the use of drugs (including alcohol) to intentionally impair another person from asserting themselves or their needs for the purpose of sexually and/or physically assaulting, robbing, or otherwise perpetrating interpersonal violence. What are "Predatory" or "Date-Rape" drugs? The term "date rape" or "predatory drug" has usually been used to describe substances like Rohypnol ("Roofies"), Gamma Hydroxybutyrate ("GHB"), or Ketamine ("Special K"). But technically, any substance used to impair you from asserting yourself or your needs is a predatory drug. This includes marijuana, ecstasy, and other street drugs. An even newer trend is the use of over-the-counter and prescription sleeping pills, antihistamines, and cold medicines. Most often, these substances are used in deadly combination with the most common predatorial drug of all: ALCOHOL. How do Predatory Drugs Work? Date-rape drugs are easily slipped into drinks and food and are very fast-acting. They can render the victim unconscious, but responsive -- with little or no memory of what happened while the drug was active in their system. The drugs can also make the victim act without inhibition, often in a sexual or physically affectionate way. Like most drugs, date rape drugs render a person incapable of thinking clearly or of making appropriate decision. This makes for a very passive victim, one who is still able to play a role in what is happening but who will have no clear memory of what happened after-the-fact. Without any memory of events the victim is often unaware that they have even been assaulted, and if they are aware or have suspicions they make very poor witnesses. One of the most dangerous things about “date-rape” drugs is that predators very rarely use these drugs with the intent of using them safely -- when someone wants to use a drug to impair someone, it is unlikely that they’ve taken the time to measure out a "safe" dose: they could be using the same amount for someone who is 5'9 and 200lbs as they do for someone 5'1 and 120lbs. One amount might make the first person sleepy or dizzy, while the smaller person might lapse into a coma. Also, many of these drugs can be made in home laboratories with chemical cleaners and other products, making the potential for poisoning much higher. For that reason and more, these drugs are desirable to sexual predators. The drugs are virtually undetectable; most are tasteless, odorless and colorless. All traces of most predatorial drugs will leave the body within 72 hours of ingestion, and are not found in any routine toxicology screen or blood test - doctors and police have to be looking specifically for them and they have to look quickly! What to Do if You've Been Drugged If you think you have been a victim of predatorial drugs, it is imperative that you seek emergency medical help immediately, and request the proper screening. These drugs can be fatal by themselves, and the risk of death is significantly higher if they've been used with alcohol. See, also "If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted."
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