Tara doesn’t remember much from the night she was raped.
She remembers dancing with friends at a local Eugene bar, including a new male acquaintance. Everything else from that night last September has been wiped from her memory.
The next thing she remembers is waking up in her own bed next to the man she had met the night before, who then told her she had seduced him.
Tara, who already had a boyfriend, was ridden with guilt, confusion and the most incredible physical pain she had ever felt. She vomited profusely and experienced extreme pelvic discomfort for the next two days.
She later realized she had probably been drugged with a “date rape drug” by her acquaintance and then raped.

Knowing the drugs
Tara was most likely given the date rape drug known as Rohypnol, also known by its street name, “roofies.”
Rohypnol can only be legally obtained outside of the United States. It’s manufactured as a sedative and is characterized mostly by a temporary loss of memory and its “hangover” effects, which leave the person feeling as though they had consumed a large amount of alcohol. According to federal law, it’s illegal to manufacture or bring Rohypnol into the United States.
The use of Rohypnol in rape cases is almost always the same: The drug is slipped into an unsuspecting victim’s drink at a large social gathering or bar, according to an article published by Peggy Herbert and Jeremy Zerbe in The CACNews, a forensic science journal.
The effects of the drug peak after one to two hours, but can last more than 12 hours, according to information from the University Health Center. Upon returning to a conscious state, the victim has no memory of what occurred while under the influence of the drug.
The most frightening aspect of Rohypnol is it can only be detected up to 36 hours after ingestion, according to Herbert and Zerbe. Tara realized too late that she had been drugged and was told by doctors at Sacred Heart Medical Center that the drugs had already passed through her body by the time she inquired about testing.
Gamma Hydroxy Butric Acid, also known as GHB, was first developed in Europe as an anesthetic and was used in the early 1990s by body builders who believed it might stimulate muscle growth. Experts agree GHB is largely used on the party scene and as a date rape drug.
GHB is more commonly used in date rape cases than Rohypnol and is mostly “home brewed” in basement laboratories, according to information from a February hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Law. GHB’s effects are similar to Rohypnol because it hinders a victim’s ability to fight back, but also heightens sexual interest and creates an intense intoxication.
Medical labs can’t detect GHB if it has been in the victim’s body for more than three to four hours, according to training information developed about the drugs by Los Angeles Police Department Detective Trinka Porrata.
Though it is currently difficult for a victim of sexual assault, especially those instances in which a drug is used, to prove their case against their attacker, a bill currently being discussed in the state Legislature would give victims more of a chance.
House Bill 2353 would classify Rohypnol, GHB and other date rape drugs as more dangerous, and classify the crime of causing another person to ingest a drug involuntarily with the intent to cause harm to that person as a Class A felony.
Eugene Police Department Sgt. Scott McKee said the use of a drug in a sexual assault can currently lead to a first-degree rape charge. Rep. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, a supporter of the bill, said the legislation would impose further punishment on those who use a drug in any kind of assault.
“This legislation is a good step for women in Oregon,” Walker said. “Causing a woman to ingest a drug takes away her right to control her own body, and often times women don’t know they’ve been drugged.”
The Oregon House of Representatives passed the bill, and it needs to be passed by the Senate to become law.
Maria Paladino, the advocacy coordinator for Sexual Assault Support Services, said 90 percent of University students who are victims of sexual assault believe they were given a drug.
“It is a myth that there is only one, or a few drugs that are used in rape cases,” Paladino said. “Attackers will use many drugs that produce debilitating effects, especially when used with alcohol.”
Paladino also said it is virtually impossible for these drugs, especially the more widely used drugs like Rohypnol and GHB, to be detected, and therefore this evidence cannot always be used against an attacker.

Getting justice
Paladino said one in three girls in the United States has been sexually assaulted by the time she reaches 18 years old. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, a woman is sexually assaulted every two minutes in the United States.
“Everyone knows someone who has been sexually assaulted, whether they are aware of it or not,” Paladino said.
McKee said the EPD has not seen any cases where the use of a drug was proven.
“There have been cases where there was a suspicion of drug use or the victim reported she was drugged, but the tests are done too late to confirm the suspicion,” McKee said.
In Tara’s case, she had no proof that a drug was used, leaving the police with nothing to go on except her word.
“SASS hooked me up with a police detective who told me we would get this guy,” Tara said. “But when questioned, [the attacker] refuted everything I said. The detective told me it was my word against his.”
McKee said if a victim goes immediately to the emergency room, a detective trained in sexual assault will conduct an investigation that involves using samples collected by doctors. From there, a forensics lab will inspect the evidence and a case against an attacker can be developed from there.
However, Dr. Gary Young, the medical director of the Emergency Department at Sacred Heart Medical Center, said Sacred Heart does not test for Rohypnol or GHB.
“When a patient comes in, the issue is to test for anything that is causing immediate harm to the patient and to conduct a rape exam,” Young said. “Usually by the time we see a patient, the effects of drugs they may have been given have worn off.”
Students have the option of being tested for Rohypnol and GHB, or any other drugs, at the University Health Center, which sends a victim’s urine sample to a lab.
“Obviously, we are restricted by the limited time frame to test for these drugs,” said Cindy Smith, an adult nurse practitioner for the University Health Center. “But when this information is needed in court, the tests are very exact.”
Paladino said out of the very few people who actually report a sexual assault, few ever prosecute their attacker.
McKee agreed, saying that many cases are handled out of court, and victims don’t always want to prosecute their attacker.

Moving on
In addition to living with the exhausting testing for drugs and sexually transmitted infections, victims also have to live with the intense emotional trauma that a sexual assault causes, Paladino said.
Tara spent three months keeping everything about her assault bottled up inside and blaming herself for what happened. She felt she would never enjoy sex or feel attractive again, but she has recently started dating again. But what she learned was that talking about her attack has helped her overcome it and allowed others to share their own experiences.
“It was the worst three months of my entire life,” she said. “I had to let out what was eating me inside.”
Paladino said it’s important to have a strong support network, whether that be through loved ones or support services like SASS.
“It’s important to know that sexual assault changes your life forever,” Paladino said. “But those e
motions that tear you apart at first will go away. Though the incident itself will always be there, once you take time to heal, you can find strength in your own life.”