While the phenomenon of chemical submission has marked recent news, PlaySafe, an association specializing in digital prevention, is warning of the increase in the online accessibility of substances that facilitate this violence.
Digital public space: substances just a click away
According to the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), 1,056 attacks were facilitated by psychoactive substances in 2023. A real scourge, supported by a thriving business: the clandestine sale of “rapist drugs”, often presented in the form of “ready-to-use” products, and accompanied by inciting content or operating methods facilitating criminal use.
More broadly, the PlaySafe association reveals that the 2025 Barometer “Monitoring and prevention of the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)” highlights “the ease of access to NPS’s online sales sites, the continuous renewal of the offer, the sophistication of digital marketing strategies and the structuring role of search engines, social platforms, encrypted messaging and certain applications”.
Traditional mechanisms for prevention and reduction of risks and damages (RdRD) indeed come up against concrete limits: the Web greatly facilitates the use and sale of these dangerous substances.
In this context, the association regrets “that digital platforms do not fully grasp the subject”despite discussions initiated in spring 2024, as part of the HIV/AIDS study group of the National Assembly.
Reduce the visibility of sellers, strengthen prevention
Fully aware of this public issue, the PlaySafe association recommends the implementation of “ten strategic measures” to combat the marketing of these substances:
- On the platform and search engine side:
adjust algorithms to prioritize prevention sites, reduce the visibility of sales sites and make access to reliable resources more immediate; - On the public authorities side: strengthen the coordinated response to the most dangerous actors, by systematizing withdrawal requests and delisting of sites classified black and red, with concerted monitoring with the competent platforms and authorities.
“We are not asking for intentions, but for concrete actions. By relying on qualified monitoring and an operational barometer, it is possible to identify and prioritize risks, then to mobilize platforms and public authorities. The digital public space must apply the same security requirements as the public space itself,” specifies Michel Mau, president of PlaySafe.
“Rapist drug”: how to recognize it and protect yourself from it?
According to Dr. Christelle Peybernard, addiction psychiatrist, “The effects of GHB depend on the dose ingested or injected. A small dose will have effects similar to alcohol, namely a euphoric and disinhibitory action and a form of tranquility.. On the other hand, in large doses, it is “sedative and amnesiac”: in other words, it puts you to sleep and disrupts your memory.
To protect yourself from these effects, in the evening, remember to adopt a few safety rules:
- Never accept a drink from a stranger if you have not tracked where it came from;
- Do not drink from another person’s drink;
- Do not leave your glass unattended;
- Use a glass hood;
- Take shelter and ask friends or bar or nightclub staff for help if you have any abnormal symptoms.