Articles

TASA ID: 22108

The quest for innovative treatments in mental health care has led to a resurgence of interest in psychedelic therapeutics. This renewed focus is not without merit; emerging research suggests that substances like psilocybin and DMT may offer novel approaches to treating complex mental health conditions that have long challenged conventional medical paradigms. An in-depth interview with Doug Drysdale, CEO of Cybin, a company at the forefront of this exploration, provides a comprehensive look at the science, the potential, and the pragmatic considerations involved in bringing psychedelic-based treatments from theory to practice.

TASA ID: 9505

This article was originally published on https://www.forensicpsychiatrynow.com/date-rape-drugs, posted May 15, 2018. 

Drug‑Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) is the use of drugs and/or alcohol by a sexual predator to render a victim incapacitated and unable to fight back against a sexual assault. A side effect of many “Date Rape” or “Club Drugs” is also anterograde amnesia, the inability to recall what happened while drugged, increasing a predator’s belief he will “get away with it.”  Those odds are shifting, but attorneys, Courts, and potential victims are better served if they understand some of the drugs used and their impact on mind and body. 
 
DFSA is more easily prosecuted if reported while the drug is still in the victim’s system and thus testable by a toxicology screen. Each drug has a different deterioration time for detection. Luckily, law enforcement protocols now better respond with urgency to obtain a blood test when a DFSA is reported.  The Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act of 1996 provides for more severe sentencing. Public awareness, particularly after the recent Bill Cosby trial, has made potential victims warier of at least the most obvious DFSA attempts.