Use of clonidine for chemical submission

Chemical submission: results of 4-year French inquiry

Psychoactive substances may be administered without the knowledge of a victim in order to induce incapacitation and thus facilitate criminal actions. The characteristics of the victims and the drugs used in such suspected chemical submissions (CS) were analyzed in 309 cases collected from October 2003 to December 2007 through a national survey. Out of 309 cases, 158 met all criteria of CS. The victims were mostly female (n = 89, 56%). The type of aggression was mostly sexual assault (in 79 cases 50%). Benzodiazepines and related drugs were detected in 129 victims (82%) and were mostly clonazepam, zolpidem, and bromazepam whereas flunitrazepam and gamma hydroxybutyrate, well known for their use in CS, were identified in 11 (7%) and five (3%) of the 158 victims. CS is not an anecdotal phenomenon in France. Information for health professionals and workers in forensic structures as well as education of the general population associated with preventive measures such as drug dosage form changes should contribute to improved care management of victims and decreased risk.

A case in south-eastern France: A review of drug facilitated sexual assault in European and English-speaking countries

Drug facilitated sexual assaults (DFSA) have been increasingly reported in the medical literature since the 1980s but their legal recognition is more recent, at least in Europe. From a case treated in south-eastern France, whose judicial consequences were known, it seemed of interest to carry out an international study of jurisprudence concerning this type of rape. While from the medical viewpoint the drugs used are well-known and their presence can be clinically verified, the legal consequences of their use in subsequent criminal prosecution is less clear-cut. Some European countries have no jurisprudence in this area, while others consider the use of drugs as an aggravating circumstance. In France, it was only in 2003 that the first case of DFSA was truly punished by the judicial system, with considerable media attention. By contrast, in English-speaking countries, particularly the United States, the use of drugs to facilitate sexual assault has frequently been recognized in legislation and in criminal prosecutions. Prevention is fundamental and is recognised as demonstrated by campaigns in various countries.

La soumission chimique: une revue de la littérature

The aim of this review is to describe the present knowledge about chemical submission. The number of scientific publications on this phenomenon has increased over the last 10 years. Perpetrators choose drugs which act rapidly, produce desinhibition, sedation, and anterograde amnesia during the abuse. Ethanol and benzodiazepines are the most frequently used. A few drugs, including flunitrazepam and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), have received widespread media coverage. Toxicological investigations on blood, urine or hair samples allow to detect the substance used. Every effort should be made to collect appropriate specimens as quickly as possible. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is at present the most appropriate analytical method to detect these drugs in a biological specimen.