its involvement in many sexual assault cases in recent years. The following are a small selection of the many warnings and studies showing the adverse effects of anti-anxiety drugs: October, 1991 – The British Government banned the benzodiazepine Halcion because of potentially dangerous side-effects including: memory loss and depression. March, 2005 – The UK Parliament’s Health Committee released findings of its enquiry into benzodiazepines, stating side-effects include ‘excessive sedation, decreased attention, amnesia and sometimes intractable dependence on the drugs.’  The committee warned that abrupt cessation can lead to severe withdrawal, including convulsions in some patients. February, 2008 – The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration imposed a boxed warning on medicines containing the sedative hypnotic, zolpidem, following reports of bizarre and sometimes dangerous sleep-related behaviours . February, 2008 – The US Food and Drug Administration added a warning to the