Rohypnol Essay

Commonly referred to as the “date rape” drug, Rohypnol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant that is currently prohibited in the United States (“Drug Fact Sheet”). Although it can be prescribed in some foreign countries as a pre-operation anesthetic, or to treat insomnia, a disease causing constant complaints of unsatisfactory sleep, it has never been approved by the FDA for medical use in America (“Drug Fact Sheet”; “What is Insomnia?”). The formal name for this drug is Flunitrazepam, and it belongs to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines (“Drug Fact Sheet”). This is a powerful drug with both short-term and long-term effects that could potentially be very dangerous to the users. Unfortunately, if handled by the wrong people, Rohypnol can …show more content…
Rohypnol is the common trade name used for this drug, however there are slang names, such as Roofies, Rophies, Rope, Circles, Forget-Me Pill, and various other forms of terminology (Rohypnol Fast Facts). Flunitrazepam is a solid, and circular tablet, which looks similar to an aspirin (Phillips and Fitzgerald). The generic drugs were the color white, and when dissolved in liquids, they became colorless and odorless (Phillips and Fitzgerald). The modern version Rohypnol has been changed to the color blue and leaves a blue stain behind when dissolved in liquids (“Rohypnol”). On one of the sides of the generic pills the name “ROCHE” is engraved to represent Hoffman La Roche, the pharmaceutical company that produced the original drug (Phillips and Fitzgerald). For usage, Rohypnol can be consumed in numerous ways; the pills can be swallowed whole, dissolved into drinks, grounded up and snorted, or injected after dissolving in liquid (“Rohypnol Fast Facts”). This drug is most commonly used by teenagers and adults ages 13 to 30, mostly males, at places such as high school and college campuses, clubs, and raves (“Rohypnol Fast