Date rape drug is more than an informal class of
drugs, it is one of the latest
propaganda terms used by the media and government in the "
War on Drugs" (or
war on some drugs).
The term is particularly nasty, because of the implication that the main reason that people acquire the drug is for the purpose of knocking someone out to rape them. Thus trying a "guilt by association" assertion by linking the use of a drug with a more violent crime that noone would ever defend.
While this is a particularly nasty crime, it is blown way out of proportion. GHB actually feels good, most of the people who have ever taken it have done so knowingly and because they enjoy it. In fact, it has even been used, quite legally, in some countries as a medication. Even the "original date rape drug",Rohypnol has been known to be taken, quite on purpose, for the euphoric effects that it can produce.
Its like describing baseball bats as "devices used for the purpose of battering defenseless women". While they can be used that way (and I would bet even have been), it is not their only use. The reason that this sounds absurd is because we all know what a baseball bat is really used to do. That is not the case with these "date rape drugs" for many.
Recently this term has been applied in the media to ecstasy (MDMA), which shows how much of a propaganda term this is. You can't knock a person out by giving them ecstasy. You might as well call pot a date rape drug, or coffee.
It was the use of this term that got GHB, a chemical found in red meat (not to mention every living animal cell) and a chemical that has been found useful in the treatment of certain conditions (like narcolepsy), banned in the USA.