An increase in opioids within the State of South Carolina has been noticed for the last few years. This increase includes the increase in Benzodiazepine which is a modern date rape drug.
Benzodiazepine according to DEA.gov are depressants that produce sedation and hypnosis.
The effects of these drugs are to sedate their victims and sexually assault them without their consent. The catch to using Benzodiazepines are that in many cases due to the hypnotic effect it can lead to the victim believing that they consented to the assault. In rare cases of long term exposure the victim could begin to believe what they are told by the perpetrator of the sexual assault, this includes the victim having feelings for the perpetrator. This is one reason why many Date Rapes using this drug are not reported.
The side effects of Benzodiazepines are Extreme drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, decreased reflexes, respiratory depression, coma, and possible death.
According to one Pharmacist, in some cases the victim is given a mixture of drugs to facilitate some coherency while being assaulted. This is probably done so the victim is not completely unconscious while being assaulted. But afterwards the victim is lead to believe that they consented therefore not reporting the rape. This mixture is usually a combination of Amphetamines’ and Benzodiazepines, the Amphetamines’ give a little lift while the Benzodiazepines facilitate the sedation and compliance and hypnotic state of the victim.
Even though these drugs are closely monitored by the DEA and FDA, they are readily available on the street for low cost. This makes them an easily obtainable drug for predators.
Hospitals are required to report individuals who come in with high amounts of Benzodiazepines in their system to Law Enforcement by Federal Guidelines. But sadly most hospitals fail in this required reporting.
The long term effects of being given Benzodiazepines (at a rate of 10mg a day for 7 days) can lead to severe mental breakdowns and psychoses for the victims. This again works in the predators benefit as the victims will appear as having mental issues and the victim could not state believably that the predator assaulted them or even gave them anything. Thereby, leaving the predator to continue his assaults’ on the victim or new victims.
In some cases the victim is assured that they have feelings for the predator and are convinced of this fact due to the hypnotic effect of the long-term (minimum 3 days) exposure of this drug.
Benzodiazepines can be detected in a toxicology screening for up to 26 days.
So what should you look for?
Individuals who are constantly giving drinks to a victim to the point of intoxication.
Obvious age differences which would lead one to question why a victim would be with someone of a significant age difference (usually 10 to 15 years difference).
Incapacitation in reaction to a drink (especially when only a moderate amount of alcohol or no alcohol was consumed)
Loss of memory (especially when only a moderate amount of alcohol or no alcohol was consumed)
Altered state of mind or unusual behavior (e.g. suddenly aggressive, unusually flirtatious, or acting outside of normal behavior)
Each drug has different symptoms.
Date Rapes are usually considered a College issue, but in recent years this epidemic has seen an increase in rapist age groups from 40’s to 50’s. In many cases these individuals have past experience in such actions and were never caught, so they continued.
If you believe you may have been a victim of a date rape, you should contact Law Enforcement or a Hospital immediately.
If you suspect someone has been drugged intervine and seek Law Enforcement assistance.