The Danger of Date Rape Drugs Date rape drugs place additional burdens on rape victims and on the criminal justice system. Victims of date rape drugs may be unable to remember events surrounding the attack, increasing their emotional burden and hampering the criminal justice system's efforts to prosecute these crimes. They are colorless and odorless pills that can be quickly dissolved into drinks, leaving victims sleepy and vulnerable.
Victims are at-risk of being unwilling participants in unsafe sex.
Other side effects of Rohypnol include blackouts, amnesia, and difficulty with motor movements and speaking. A recent California case illustrates the difficulties these drugs present. Twins George and Stefan Spitzer are alleged to have taken women out to dinner where they slipped Rohypnol into their drinks. Prosecutors say that the unconscious women were then raped at the twins' apartment where investigators discovered seven boxes of Rohypnol and videos of the Spitzers' sexual exploits. As the case goes to trial, women are left wondering if they are also among the Spitzers' victims.