Rohypnol

Rohypnol, a trade name for flunitrazepam, has been of particular concern for the last few years because of its abuse in date rape.

It belongs to a class of drugs knows as benzodiazepines. When mixed with alcohol, Rohypnol can incapacitate victims and prevent them from resisting sexual assault. It can produce "anterograde amnesia," which means individuals may not remember events they experienced while under the effects of the drugs. Also, Rohypnol may be lethal when mixed with alcohol and/or other depressants.

Rohypnol is not approved for use in the United States, and its importation is banned. Illicit use of Rohypnol started appearing in the United States in the early 1990s, where it became known as "rophies," "roofies," "roach," and "rope." Emergency room mentions of Rohypnol were 13 in 1994 and increased to 624 in 1998; they decreased to 540 in 1999.
Abuse of two other similar drugs appears to be replacing Rohypnol abuse in Miami, Texas, and Boston. These are clonazepam, marketed in the U.S. as Klonopin and in Mexico as Rivotril, and alprazolam (marketed as Xanax). Rohypnol, however, continues to be a problem among treatment admissions in Texas, particularly among young Hispanic males along the Mexican border.