BY: JESSICA BEUKER
A California Bill is aiming to reverse the war on drugs by making specific drug possession a felony. The bill will ban the possession of a trio of drugs, known as date rape drugs, in an effort to prevent date rape. While it may seem like a step forward on the surface, the ban of these drugs creates a misrepresentation of the facts, including who’s using them, as well as ignoring the biggest problem of all: alcohol.
According to an article by Phillip Smith for AlterNet, the bill would treat three specified drugs—ketamine, Rohypnol and GHB—more severely than others. “Instead of charging people caught with personal amounts of these substances as misdemeanours, as is the case with cocaine, heroin, meth, and all other drugs,” writes Smith, “prosecutors would now have the option of charging them with a felony.”
Senator Cathleen Galgiani said that a person found in possession of these drugs is likely intending to use them to commit sexual assault.
“But not only are the legislators misrepresenting the vast majority of the users of these drugs, they are also missing the forest for the trees,” writes Smith. “If they really wanted to criminalize a drug to prevent date rape, that drug would be alcohol.”
A 2005 Justice Department study found that date rape drugs were only present in 4.2 per cent of sexual assaults, while other drugs including alcohol were present in 61 per cent. Another study found alcohol present in 50 per cent of all sexual assaults.
Furthermore, the trio of drugs that will be affected by the ban are commonly used for recreational purposes. Ketamine is a psychedelic that, in lower doses, is used as a social party drug. Rohypnol, or “roofies,” is a strong sedative that can even be prescribed for chronic insomnia.
While Ketamine, Rohypnol and GHB could be used for sexual assault purposes, like many other drugs, they are only a small part of the problem. “If these misinformed bills actually become law,” writes Smith, “The people who will be hit with harsher penalties are much more likely to be innocent partiers than deviant criminals.”
Sources: blogspot.ca, wordpress.com, favim.com, lockerdome.com
