Citation

Berretta P, Varì MR. Clin. Ter. 2020; 170(1): e44-e45.

Affiliation

National Centre on Addiction and Doping - Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Societa Editrice Universo)

DOI

10.7417/CT.2020.2187

PMID

31850483

Abstract

Drug-facilitated sexual assaults (DFSA) currently represent overwhelming issue in its multidisciplinary approach. They occur when alcohol or drugs are used to compromise an individual's ability to consent to a sexual act. These substances facilitate a perpetrator to commit sexual assault because they inhibit a person's ability to resist and can prevent them from remembering the assault. If on the one hand alcohol remains the most commonly used drug in crimes of sexual assault, on the other hand drugs being used by perpetrators in crimes of sexual assault include, but are not limited to, Rohypnol (but also other benzodiazepines can be used), GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid), GBL (Gamma-Butyrolactone), ketamine and others. The authors briefly examine the main issues of GHB-facilitated sexual assault in forensic investigation, drawing the attention of the whole scientific community to the importance of a correct assessment of each GHB-FSA, even when it is only suspected and by providing some practical advices.

Language: en

Keywords

Drug Facilitated Sexual Assaults (DFSA); Forensic Toxicology; GBL; GHB