Rohypnol by Claire Swayze

What is Rohypnol?

swayze_claire38 — 2017-03-23 13:46:27 UTC

Rohypnol is a CNS depressant in a category of drugs known as benzodiazepines. This category of drugs is made up of sedative-hypnotic drugs, which can be used to treat anxiety, insomnia, sleep disorders, and seizure disorders. Other drugs in this category include Xanax, Valium, Atavan, and Librium.

Rohypnol

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 13:46:51 UTC

Better known as "Roofies"

Scientific Name: Flunitrazepam

Street Names

hazen_emily67 — 2017-03-23 13:47:43 UTC

“Roofies”
"Rope,"
"The Forget Pill"
"Roach"
The "lunch money" high
"the date-rape drug"
“Circles”
“la rocha”
“Mexican Valium”
“mind erasers”
“R-2,
“rib”
“Ro”
“Roche”
“Roachies”
“rophies”
“Rophy”
“Ruffies”
“Ruffles”
“Shays”
“Stupefi”
“Wolfies”
“Roached out”

What does it look like?

swayze_claire38 — 2017-03-23 13:47:55 UTC

Harmful Effects

hazen_emily67 — 2017-03-23 13:49:59 UTC

fearlessness/loss of inhibitions
impaired judgment
impaired coordination
confusion/disorientation
nausea
Dizziness
unsteady walk
Amnesia
Addiction
Blackouts

(McKeown)

Desired Effects

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 13:50:36 UTC

Desired effects of user

Rohypnol was developed as a sleeping pill and has been used successfully for that purpose in many countries outside the United States. When used as it was prescribed, it is an effective short-term therapy for severe sleep disorders. Because of this, it is also the most frequently prescribed pill in Europe.
It lowers blood pressure, which reducing bleeding & is a good muscle relaxant and can control painful muscle spasms. So, Rohypnol also is given to assist patients before surgeries.
Some heroin addicts use Rohypnol to intensify the heroin high.
Cocaine addicts sometimes use Rohypnol to mellow cocaine's high and to ease themselves "down" from a crack or cocaine binge. It can be called a "landing gear," when it's used like this by drug addicts.

("Rohypnol")

Young people who attend rave parties often take amphetamines to keep themselves awake the entire night. Then after, some also will take Rohypnol to take away some effects from amphetamine use.
Some people take Rohypnol as a cure for hangovers.
The drug had been used to facilitate rape by immobilizing victims and impairing their memories.

(Fitzgerald)

History of Rohypnol

swayze_claire38 — 2017-03-23 13:53:48 UTC

”Rohypnol was first developed in the 1970s by the pharmaceutical firm of Hoffmann-La Roche. It was first sold in Switzerland in 1975 as a sleeping aid for the treatment of insomnia. It is also given as a sedative prior to administering anesthesia for certain surgeries, including heart surgery performed on infants. Over time, the drug has come to be used by doctors in a total of 64 countries. Not long after it was introduced in Europe in the 1970s, reports began surfacing that Rohypnol was being abused as a recreational or "party" drug, often in combination with alcohol and/or other drugs” ("Rohypnol.”)

Is it ever legal?

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:00:00 UTC

Legal uses (if any):

Legal

Rohypnol is legally available in more than 60 countries for severe insomnia, and U.S.-bound travelers may bring in a three-month supply for personal use.

Illegal

The use and trafficking of Rohypnol is illegal in the United States
It's classified as a schedule IV drug with other benzodiazepines, but the consequences of being found in possession of rohypnol are those associated with schedules I, II, and III.
- In some states, it has even been classified as a schedule I drug.
It's often smuggled from Mexico and Colombia.
Date rape is the most sensational consequence of roofies, yet there's also a lot of worry about its potential for addiction and lethal overdosing.
The DEA is considering changing Rohypnol's designation as a Schedule IV drug to Schedule I, carrying the same stiff penalties for possession as heroin.

Even though Rohypnol is prescribed for insomnia, drug abusers have found the pills other uses. Roofies can cause blackouts and memory loss, it also is very easy to lethally overdose on. It is found that some men are using the drug to incapacitate women and date-rape them, the women often not even realizing or remembering it completely due to the drug's effects. (Seligman)

Relevance

hazen_emily67 — 2017-03-23 14:01:52 UTC

“just $1 to $5 a pill, the drug is especially popular with teens, who like to combine it with alcohol for a quick punch-drunk hit.” (Seligman)

Not to mention, some teens are beginning to experience romantic relationships (and, in extreme cases, sexual relationships) for the first time. This naïve point of view can cause teens to be too trusting in some social settings. This trusting nature and the pressure to look “cool” together can put teens in a more likely position to fall victims to the effects of roofies as both a date-rape drug as well as an illegal recreational drug.

“Like other so-called "club drugs"--including ecstasy (MDMA), ketamine, GHB (gamma-hydroxy butyrate), methamphetamine, and LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide)--Rohypnol is easily accessible and relatively inexpensive. Often, users who intentionally take the drugs to get high at rave parties or elsewhere may not even know what they have taken or been given, which can make it difficult for medical professionals to treat them if they overdose or have a reaction. Wrongly, many young people apparently believe Rohypnol is harmless because it is legal in other countries and has a confirmed medical use. Many also apparently believe that it is not addictive. In fact, the drug can become physically addictive within about 10 days of continuous use. Once someone has started using it regularly, it is often difficult to stop without experiencing withdrawal symptoms including headaches, muscle pain, restlessness and confusion. Even worse, stopping the drug suddenly after taking it for a long period of time can have severe health consequences, including seizures, coma and even death. As a result, experts say regular users must taper off the drug slowly, as they would from any drug on which they have become dependent.” ("Rohypnol.”)

Works Cited

swayze_claire38 — 2017-03-23 14:11:53 UTC

Fitzgerald, Nora, and Jack K. Riley. "Club Drugs Facilitate Rape." Club Drugs, edited by Karen F. Balkin, Greenhaven Press, 2005. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010257206/OVIC?u=lom_inac&xid=aba61dc1. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. Originally published as "Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces," National Institute of Justice Journal, Apr. 2000.

"Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) | CESAR." CESAR: Center for Substance Abuse Research. University of Maryland Medical Center, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2017. .
McKeown, Laura A. "Rohypnol." Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students, edited by Stacey L. Blachford and Kristine Krapp, Gale, 2003, pp. 410-418. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=lom_inac&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX3402000190&it=r&asid=8f3d1eaa33b8111d8e34b466947a2a45. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

"Rohypnol." Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students, edited by Stacey L. Blachford and Kristine Krapp, Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2645000047/OVIC?u=lom_inac&xid=4e7501d3. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Seligman, Jean, and Patricia King. "'Roofies': the date-rape drug: this illegal sedative is plentiful - and powerful." Newsweek, 26 Feb. 1996, p. 54. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A18020692/OVIC?u=lom_inac&xid=95a022bc. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:14:08 UTC

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:16:04 UTC

swayze_claire38 — 2017-03-23 14:19:34 UTC

Need to remember

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:19:45 UTC

Even though Rohypnol may come in a solid pill, when mixed in a liquid drink, it will quickly dissolve. So, to all the girls out there, if you get a drink from a guy you don't know, don't drink it. You never know if someone has mixed something into your drink. Roofies are only ONE of the date rate drugs, so take precautions with what you put into your body.

swayze_claire38 — 2017-03-23 14:25:24 UTC

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:25:42 UTC

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:26:53 UTC

Dont Do Drugs

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:29:10 UTC

grauman_alexandra37 — 2017-03-23 14:30:21 UTC

Be Safe Kids!