DATE - RAPE DRUGS AND ILLEGAL ONLINE PHARMACIES ARE INCREASING

Date-rape drugs -- so called because they render victims unconscious or provoke memory loss, facilitating rape -- were increasingly easy to obtain, the International Narcotics Control Board said in its annual report Wednesday.

"The 'date-rape drug' phenomenon is evolving rapidly, as sexual abusers attempt to circumvent more rigorous drug controls by using substances not restricted by the international drug conventions," it noted.

Rohypnol, the best known date-rape drugs, is subject to strict checks, but others like GHB, ketamine, an anaesthetic, and GBL, a solvent, are becoming more and more common and are easily available through legal channels.

Abuse of prescription drugs -- including morphine, codeine and methadone -- has also spread in recent years to become a "major concern" in many countries, with the number of users even surpassing the combined figure of cocaine, heroin and ecstasy users in places such as the United States, the INCB said.