EXPERT: ALCOHOL LEADS AS DATE-RAPE DRUG

Alcohol is still the drug of choice for people who want to commit
"drug-facilitated sexual assault," an expert on the topic told attendees
Thursday at a conference on stopping violence against women.

Wendy Perkins, who runs Sexual Assault Survivor Services in Lawrenceburg,
Ind., said people sometimes overlook the prevalence of alcohol as a rape drug.

It's cheap, it's been around forever and it's part of the culture of late
high school and college students, those who seem to be at greatest risk for
being drugged and raped, Perkins said at the "Collaborating to Stop
Violence Against Women" meeting sponsored by the Louisiana District
Attorneys Association.

But since most people can recognize the symptoms of alcohol use, Perkins
focused her talk on three other drugs that are used to disable and then
assault women, and sometimes men.

Rohypnol, legal in Mexico and Europe and packing the punch of six or more
doses of Valium or Xanax, is cheap, about $1 to $5 a dose.

If Rohypnol is sneaked into a drink, the victim will start feeling odd -
wobbly, disoriented - within about 15 minutes, Perkins said.

Sometimes, Perkins said, people who are drugged with Rohypnol wake up
during an attack, but can't do anything to stop it. They can't even say no,
she said.

One common side effect of Rohypnol, also called roofies, rib, shays,
L-Ropa, Roche, Roaches or Rochies, is a feeling much like being hung over
from too much alcohol the next day, along with an intense headache, Perkins
said.

This can be an important element to determine that a woman was attacked by
someone who gave her Rohypnol or whether some other substance was used, she
said.

The popularity of the drug also has led to a slang expression for this kind
of drug-aided sexual attack - being "roofed," Perkins said.

GHB, a homebrew drug made with paint thinner and lye, and Ketamine, a more
expensive, less common drug used as an anesthetic in animals and small
children, are the other two most popular drugs used in rapes.

Like Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine may make the user appear drunk.

Ketamine can provide a psychedelic experience akin to LSD in people who
take it voluntarily, but at higher doses can cause quick unconsciousness
and lingering amnesia, Perkins said.

GHB and Rohypnol also can cause victims to not remember what happened to
them, a quality that Perkins said makes them very popular for sexual assaults.

The fuzzy memory, and the quick metabolism of the drugs in the victim's
body, make prosecution difficult, Perkins said.

GHB, sometimes called "the love drug" or "great hormones at bedtime,"
lowers inhibitions and some users believe it enhances sex, Perkins said.

Colorless, it's easy to hide in eye drop bottles, soda bottles or other
containers. It can be tinted with food coloring to resemble other
substances, as well, she said.

It's as cheap as Rohypnol and potency can vary dramatically depending on
the recipe used and the quality of the ingredients. Perkins said the
Internet has hundreds of recipes for GHB.

The Louisiana Legislature enhanced penalties for GHB possession and
distribution in 1999, and Rape Crisis Center Director Jane Wood said her
center, which assists rape victims, has been seeing fewer GHB-based attacks.

Statistics recently compiled by Wood's office show six drug-facilitated
sexual assaults reported to the Rape Crisis Center in 2001, down from 14 in
2000. Most of the victims were college age and nearly all had a drug given
to them without their knowledge.

However, the researcher who compiled the statistics noted that an LSU
counselor mentioned at least another dozen cases over the past two years
that were reported to counselors on campus but not to Rape Crisis or to law
enforcement.

Wood said it's impossible to tell how many crimes of this nature go unreported.

In Baton Rouge, she said, Ecstasy appears to have overtaken GHB as the
favorite "club drug." Wood said she is not aware of Ecstasy being used in
rapes.

Sheriff's Lt. Darrell O'Neal said the drug his detectives most often see in
sexual assault cases is, as Perkins said, alcohol.