BBC News Online: UK

Date rape drug ban starts

It has become an offence to possess the so-called "date rape" drug Rohypnol without a prescription for its use.

Women's groups on both sides of the Atlantic say the drug has been used by rapists to leave a victim powerless to stop an attack.

It can also leave victims with confused memories for days after an attack, by which time the drug will have disappeared from the blood and there will be no forensic evidence of a rape.

The US Government says it is responding to the fears by rescheduling the drug under tighter legislation.

Rohypnol, manufactured by Hoffman La Roche, is odourless and tasteless if added to alcohol.

Hoffman La Roche is adding a special blue dye to the drug, which is only released if it is put in alcohol.

The drug is 10 times stronger than other sedatives and its use by rapists first came to light in the USA.

British campaigners against the drug says there is evidence it has been used in the UK but police say they have never found proof.

However, the Department of Health and the Home Office say that anyone caught breaking the new rules faces up to two years in jail, an unlimited fine or both.

Popular with clubbers

Rohypnol, the brand name for flunitrazepam, is prescribed privately in Britain for back pain and insomnia.

It is readily available for just £1 a tablet and has gained popularity among night clubbers who use it to come down after taking ecstasy or amphetamines.

Its use without prescription has already been banned in the United States.

In this section

Next steps for peace
Blairs' surprise over baby
Bowled over by Lord's
Beef row 'compromise' under fire
Hamilton 'would sell mother'
Industry misses new trains target
Quins fightback shocks Cardiff (From Sport)
Vodafone takeover battle heats up (From Business)
IRA ceasefire challenge rejected
Thousands celebrate Asian culture
Christie could get two-year ban (From Sport)
Colleagues remember Compo (From Entertainment)
Mother pleads for baby's return
Toys withdrawn in E.coli health scare
Nurses role set to expand (From Health)
Israeli PM's plane in accident
More lottery cash for grassroots
Pro-lifers plan shock launch
Double killer gets life
Cold 'cure' comes one step closer (From Health)
Straw on trial over jury reform (From UK Politics)
Tatchell calls for rights probe into Mugabe
Ex-spy stays out in the cold
Blair warns Livingstone (From UK Politics)
Smear equipment `misses cancers' (From Health)
Boyzone star gets in Christmas spirit (From Entertainment)
Fake bubbly warning
Murder jury hears dead girl's diary
Germ warfare fiasco revealed (From UK Politics)
Blair babe triggers tabloid frenzy
Tourists shot by mistake
A new look for News Online