The "date rape drug" has emerged on an increasing number of campuses and may have been used at Dartmouth.
The use of Rohypnol, widely known as the "date rape drug," has become a nationwide concern and may now be an issue on campus. One student said she believes she was recently given the drug.
But Director of College Health Services Jack Turco said as of last week he knew of no Rohypnol incidents at the College, adding the drug is "another threat. It's out there, it exists, so students should be aware."
Turco also said students should be cautious, but not because there has been an influx of the drug on campus.
"The drug itself is new, but that type of drug is not new," Turco added. "There has been increased use by young adults and on college campuses."
Rohypnol, sometimes known as "roofies," is a powerful tranquilizer drug, which is legal in many countries as a treatment for severe sleep disorders. The drug is illegal in the United States.
The drug is a sedative, and when mixed with alcohol, leads to an increased intolerance to alcohol as well as a loss of memory.
A female student at the College, who wishes to remain anonymous, believes the drug Rohypnol was recently administered to her without her knowledge.
After speaking with chemistry majors and friends with knowledge of Rohypnol, the student came to the conclusion that she had been slipped the drug during the party. But she was never tested for the drug.
The woman attended an off-campus party about "a week and a half ago."
Although roughly 50 people were at the party, the student said she knew about five attendees, and not all of those at the party were Dartmouth students.
"I was totally coherent and clear minded and had total control over everything," she said.
"I picked up a drink, and it was like someone turned the lights out on me," she said. "My mind went from totally clear to nothing."
The woman added, "Apparently I could walk and talk, and I had the appearance of a sedated drunk ... when I was in that state, I could recognize people."
The student said she was out walking on campus until 3 a.m. While walking, she recognized people, but remembered none of the encounters in the morning.
The drink the student had was one she had made herself, but she had left unattended during the party.
The next morning, the student said she "wasn't hung over ... just tired and a little out of it."
"It was like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. Someone could have done anything to me, and I wouldn't have known," she said.
Director of the Women's Resource Center Giavanna Munafo said students should be aware that the drug is available.
A person who has taken Rohypnol "has exceedingly increased intolerance to alcohol," Munafo said.
Turco said people who take the drug often forget events that follow.
"People do not immediately pass out, but [they] become sedated to the point that they can not remember," he said.
Munafo warned students against leaving drinks unattended at parties that are not private.
The issue of the use of Rohypnol in conjunction with date rape is a complex one.
"It is complicated because date rape often occurs in the face of intoxication," Turco said. "From looking at the history, it is hard to tell that the drug has been used in instances of date rape."
Turco explained it can be difficult to differentiate the use of Rohypnol from simple intoxication, but there are ways to tell the difference.
Rohypnol use can sometimes be "recognized due to a peculiar incidence," Turco said, such as when a person becomes extremely intoxicated from a very small amount of alcohol or if someone sees a person slipping the drug into a drink.
Coordinator of the Sexual Abuse Awareness Program Susan Marine said it is possible to have a toxicology test done for the drug through Dick's House.
"I am really concerned about the drug because it has been used for sinister reasons," Marine said. "Some see it as a backhanded aphrodisiac, but use of the drug to lure women into bed is most certainly rape."
Some students at the College have been made aware of the presence of the drug through informational e-mails circulated about it, as well as through the news and word-of mouth.
"Rohypnol is extremely scary, especially in a college environment, where there is a lot of social drinking," Julie Tallman '99 said.
"The circumstances surrounding the drug are disgusting," she added. "We are lucky that it hasn't really surfaced as a problem here."
Rohypnol has been a factor in several recent incidents across the nation.
In September, 15-year-old Thelma Rascon from El Paso, Texas overdosed on heroin and ingested cocaine as well as Rohypnol.
Gang-raped after taking Rohypnol, Rascon was pronounced dead at a local hospital, after being found unconscious in an El Paso motel.
Autopsy findings, made public last weekend, indicated that Rohypnol was present in her system at the time of her death.
In addition, four Clemson University students were arrested recently and charged with possession of Rohypnol. One of the students was also charged with selling the drug to Clemson students out of his apartment.
Rohypnol is most prevalent in the southern United States and can be bought cheaply on the streets, especially in California, Florida and Texas, according to the Associated Press.
