WHAT IS ROHYPNOL?
ROHYPNOL, a trade name for the drug flunitrazepam, is a central nervous system depressant(same as alcohol). The drug is legally manufactured and avaliable OUTSIDE the US but is NEITHER manufactured NOR approved for sale within the US. Since the 1990s individuals in the US have used Rohypnol illegaly, often as a means of mitigating the depression that results from using stimulants such as cocaine & methamphetamine. Rohypnol also has been used in the commission of sexual assaults.
WHAT DOES ROHYPNOL LOOK LIKE?
Rohypnol is manufactured as a caplet. In 1997 the manufacturer responded to concerns about the drug's role in sexual assaults by refomulating the white, 2mg tablets. (The original tablets dissolved clear in liquid, makin it neraly impossible for a victim to detect their presence in a beverage.) The new smaller dosage(0.5mg and 1.0mg)caplets are dull green with a blue core that, when dissolved in LIGHT COLORED DRINKS, will dye the liquid blue. The dye may be disguesed, however, in blue or dark-colored liquids, and generic versions of the drug may not contain the blue dye.
HOW ARE ROHYPNOL ABUSED?
Individuals who abuse Rohypnol may swallow the caplets whole, crush and then snort the powdered caplets,or dissolve the caplets in liquid and then inject the solutions. Sexual predators who administer Rohypnol to their victims typically slip the drug into a drink, often at a bar or party. The blue color that results from mixing Rohypnol with a beverage often is masked by serving blue tropical drink or by serving the drink in dark or opaque containers.
The effects of the drug typically are felt within 15 to 20 minutes of adminstration and may persist for more than 12 hours.
STATISTICS
Teenagers & young adults, primarily individuals aged 13 to 30, are the principal users of Rohypnol, and most users are male. The drug is popular on hich school and college campuses and at raves and nightclubs.
Rohypnol among high school tudents is a particular problem.
Nearly 2% of high school SENIORS in the US used Rohypnol at least once in the PAST YEAR, according to the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey.
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