Roofies

What are roofies?
Flunitrazepam is an approved prescription medication manufactured by Roche Laboratories under the trade name Rohypnol. It is a benzodiazepine, the same class of drug as diazepam (Valium), but it is much more potent.

How does a roofie affect the body?
It acts like a Valium (a depressant), causing relaxation and drowsiness. It is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol and other depressants because it results in lethargy, coma or difficulty breathing. Medical professionals can screen and treat a roofie overdose just like a Valium overdose.

Who uses roofies?
Roofies has been called the Date Rape drug because it sedates victims and leaves them with a temporary amnesia. Roofies are also used to come down off stimulant drugs like cocaine or to enhance the effect of depressants like heroin.

Where do roofies come from?
While problems have been attributed to Rohypnol abuse in other countries where it is legal, South Florida appears to be the USA point of origin. At least twenty thousand tablets have been seized by the D.E.A. in Miami in one year alone. The illegally diverted Rohypnol is apparently of Colombian origin. Rohypnol has been classified as a Schedule III drug due to the abuse potential and is not approved for use in the United States.

For more information, visit https://www.dea.gov/.