These club drugs are attractive to youth for their cheap, intoxicating highs, which they mistakenly believe are safe. Unfortunately, most partygoers do not realize the dangers of using club drugs. Nor do they realize combinations of any of these drugs with alcohol can lead to unexpected adverse reactions and death. Because some club drugs are colorless, tasteless, and odorless, individuals who want to intoxicate or sedate others can add them unobtrusively to beverages. In recent years, there have been increased reports of club drugs used to commit sexual assaults.

What they look like: GHB can be produced in clear liquid, white powder, tablet, and capsule forms. It is colorless and odorless. Rohypnol is a small white tablet with no taste or odor when dissolved in a drink. Ketamine is a white powder, similar to cocaine.

Also known as:
GHB – Liquid X, G, scoop, grievous bodily harm, Georgia home boy, goop, gamma-oh.

Rohypnol– Roach, roofies, the forget pill, rope, rophies, ruffies, R2, roofenol, la roche, rib.

Ketamine – K, Special K, Vitamin K, new ecstasy, psychedelic heroin, Ketalar, Ketaject, Super-K, breakfast cereal, cat tranquilizer.

How they're used:
GHB – Snorted, orally in liquid form, smoked or mixed in drinks.

Rohypnol – Snorted or ingested orally in pill form or dissolved in a drink.

Ketamine – Snorted, smoked or injected.

Indicators of use:
GHB – Drowsiness, obvious dizziness, problems with memory. Another telltale sign: sometimes the user transports GHB in empty hotel shampoo or eyedropper bottles.

Rohypnol – Digestive problems, difficulty with motor movements and slurred speech. Dizziness and disorientation are also common.

Ketamine – Impaired motor function, vertigo, altered speech, slowed reaction time and euphoria are typical. With heavier use, altered body image, euphoria and vivid visual hallucinations may occur.

Physical/psychological impacts:
GHB – Liver failure; vomiting; tremors; seizures; comas; fatal respiratory problems.

Rohypnol – Creates a drunk feeling that lasts two to eight hours; nausea; low blood pressure; difficulty with motor movements and speaking; dizziness and disorientation; short-term memory loss (inability to remember what happened under the influence of the drug). NOTE: Rohypnol is also known as the date-rape drug. It is odorless and tasteless, and when mixed with alcohol can incapacitate a victim and prevent resistance to sexual assault.

Ketamine– High blood pressure; potentially fatal respiratory problems. NOTE: Normally used as an anesthetic for animals, Ketamine is also used as a date-rape drug; it incapacitates the victim and prevents resistance to sexual assault.

Workplace and employee impact:
GHB – insomnia; difficulty in concentration; memory loss; anxiety; drowsiness.

Rohypnol – drowsiness; memory loss; dizziness; confusion.

Ketamine – Delirium; amnesia; impaired motor function; reduced attention span; impaired learning ability (with continued use).

How it hits home: Club drugs pose an increasing threat to Pennsylvania. Their availability, in a wide variety of forms, is growing at a frightening rate. These drugs are most frequently used at nightclubs or “raves,” all-night dance parties that typically feature loud electronic music and sophisticated lighting effects. At present, raves are mainly big-city events, but their popularity is spreading outward to suburbs and rural areas. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reports that club drugs are readily available in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. According to the DEA, GHB and Ketamine are more popular in the Philadelphia nightclubs, while GHB continues to be used in central Pennsylvania.