These 4 Items Can Detect Date Rape Drugs In Your Drink - Page 2

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An American is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Many assaults occur in private, and even in places where people should be able to feel safe – like in their own homes. However, sexual predators also frequent social environments like parties and bars, and sometimes, they can be the very person you swiped right on in a dating app. And, they might roofie the drink they just bought you.

The word roofie is derived from Rohypnol – a drug that is sometimes used recreationally. It’s often called a “rave drug,” but some treat it as a personal sleeping pill, and then sexual predators slip into their victim’s drinks to lower their inhibitions and reduce their motor skills. Anecdotally, roofies have been a major problem in college settings. Surveys reported on LiveScience of over 6,000 college students at the University of South Carolina, the University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati found that 1 in 13 college students have had their drinks spiked.

But, being out of college doesn’t mean being out of harm’s way. Roofies and similar drugs (such as gamma-hydroxybutric acid aka GHB, gamma-butyrolactone and ketamine) are found in night clubs, at bars, and sometimes even in an intimate restaurant on a first date. In an ideal world, date rape drugs wouldn’t exist, nor would the people who want to use them for nefarious reasons. Until we live in that world, here are devices that can help you detect date rape drugs.

Testing Stickers

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These testing stickers are discreet and easy to carry and can detect GHB in a beverage. You’ll get six stickers per pack, each with a protective film over them. When you’re going to an environment where you’d like to test your drink, put one of the stickers on the back of your phone or a similar hard surface you’ll have with you like a hard case wallet. Once you have a drink, dip your finger in your beverage. Then, remove the protective film from the top of the sticker and press your alcohol-soaked finger against the sticker. Wait one minute. If half of the sticker turns a darker color, your drink has been spiked.

Forensic Pouches

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These tests were developed for forensic use by law enforcement and use National Institute of Justice chemical reagents to detect a number of drugs including GHB, fentanyl, LSD, and PCP. You simply remove the swab from the pouch, test the suspect item (in the case or spiked drinks, dip it in a drink). Put the swab back in the pouch and break up the chemical reagents provided into the pouch. A color reaction should occur if a drug is present. Then, you use the associated MobileDetect app. You’ll scan the pouch’s QR code with the app and get your automated drug report.

Testing Kits

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These testing kits from Knope look and operate quite similarly to COVID-19 tests. There is a small opening on which you place a few drops of the suspected liquid. Then there is a longer window where you’ll see results show up. If three lines appear on the long window, your beverage is drug-free. However, if only one or only two lines appear, it has been spiked. The product’s creator – who was a victim of drink spiking herself – has also teamed up with law enforcement in creating the What Now Campaign, which seeks to educate and empower women with the information they need to know and what to do if their drink has been spiked, as well as if an assault has occurred.