This document discusses drug facilitated sexual assault and provides information about common drugs used, their effects, symptoms exhibited by victims, and challenges with investigating and prosecuting these crimes. It notes that drugs like GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine and alcohol are often used to incapacitate victims and cause anterograde amnesia. Victims may have no memory of the assault and present as confused or disoriented. It stresses the importance of collecting urine and blood samples from victims within a short timeframe to detect evidence of drugs.

3.  Sexual assault facilitated by the offender’s
use of an anesthesia type drug which when
administered to the victim rendered the
victim physically incapacitated or helpless
and thus incapable of giving or not giving
consent

4. Most common symptom in alleged
drug facilitated sexual assault is
anterograde amnesia
The victim remembers events up to but
not after the drink

5.  The victim’s lack of resistance
 Inconsistent or untrue statements
 Delayed reporting

7.  Ethanol
 Marijuana
 GHB (liquid ecstasy)
 Flunitrazepam
(rohypnol)
 Ecstasy
 Ketamine
 Hypnotics
 Cocaine
 Amphetamines

9.  When mixed with alcohol can incapacitate a
victim
 Increased use in U.S.
 Abuse started in Europe in 1970’s, in U.S.
the 1990’s
 Rapidly dissolved in liquid

10.  Ingested with alcohol and other drugs,
especially heroin, causes muscle and mental
relaxation and amnesia
 Drugs effects begin within 30 minutes and
persist for 8 hours or more
 Can be detected in blood for 24 hours and in
urine for 48 hours

11.  Seizures, hypotension, memory impairment,
dizziness and confusion, amnesia
 Can cause excitability and aggressive
behavior

12. - Liquid ecstasy -

13.  Used since 1990 in Europe for euphoria,
sedative, and anabolic effects
 Found in liquid or white powder-tasteless
and odorless
 Frequently combined with alcohol in doses of
75-100mg/kg
 Causes loss of inhibition within 10-15
minutes
 Effects last 3 hours, with alcohol 20-30 hours

14.  GHB can cause drowsiness, hypothermia,
dizziness, seizures especially with
methamphetamine, severe respiratory
depression and coma

15.  Powerful anesthetic
 Similar to PCP and LSD
 Common at teenage rave parties
 Separates perception from sensation
 Can be snorted, ingested, or laced with
marijuana
 Onset of effects within 4 to 20 minutes
 Effects last from 30 minutes to 2 hours

16.  At high doses ketamine causes delirium,
amnesia, impaired motor function,
hypertension, depression, and respiratory
failure.
 Emergency room reports have risen 300
times in the last six years (England).

17.  Analog of amphetamine
 Developed and synthesized by Merck in
1912 as an appetite suppressant
 Became popular in 1970’s as adjunct to
psychotherapy

18.  Tablets, capsule, white powder
 Tablets are most common, can be any color
with any logo on them
 Can contain many other substances due to
illegal manufacture-caffeine, ephedrine,
cocaine, ketamine, dextromethorphan

19.  Psychologically addictive-abusers feel
irritable, sick and crave more.
 Hyperthermia common
 Neurotoxic to the serotoninergic system-
occurs with the first dose, most likely from
metabolites
 Also causes kidney failure and liver damage

20.  Victims without a feeling of
revolt
 Victims confused and
disoriented
 Victim with amnesia
 Uninformed about victim
offender

21.  She tells you she took the drug
 The victim reports symptoms of amnesia
 She recalls feeling “strange” or “very drunk”

22.  Physical trauma (vaginal, anal), unexplained
 Waking up in an unknown location
 Evidences of semen in the body or clothing

23. 3212 cases of sexual abuse
 1252 cases – there were
no drugs (39%)
 1121 casos – one drug
(35%)
 839 casos – several drugs
(26%)

25.  Do not leave beverages unattended
 At a bar or club, accept drinks only from a
bartender, waiter or waitress
 Be alert of the behavior of friends
 Follow your instincts
 Have a buddy system
 Party in groups

27.  The victim
 The suspect
 The witness
 The crime scene

28.  Informed consent
 Inform all medications taken will be found
 Describe: probable time of exposure, time of
collection of blood and urine

29.  If the patient believes that something was
put in her drink or does not remember
everything that happened
› Urine specimen (100 ml)
› 2 gray topped tubes of serum

30. Urine
Drug abuse and
medication
Blood

31.  Victim may not remember what happened
 Victim may be groggy for a long period after
waking up
 Drugs eliminate from the body
very quickly (As quickly as 4 hours)
 Juries may have trouble knowing just how
helpless the victim was without evidence

32.  Victim’s drug/alcohol use may make the
victim seem to lack credibility to the system
and/or to juries
 Juries may blame the victim
 Prosecutor may not be able to prove details
of the case necessary for a conviction

34. Grazie !!!