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 The
title 'Date Rape' is a very general term which has come to represent
some very different situations. It can be the victimization and
subsequent rape of an individual by someone they know intimately or just
as an acquaintance. It can occur on a first date, or by someone the
victim has come to know and trust.
This same phrase has also come to represent another disturbing
variation of rape. It is more appropriately called Drug Facilitated
Sexual Assault, and it has been increasing in frequency at an alarming
rate. As with most rape, it is difficult to ascertain the true extent of
this crime.
In its pure set definition, this form of 'Date Rape' is accomplished
by the placement of a drug, legal or illegal, into an unaware victims'
consumable without their prior knowledge or consent. This drug must meet
certain criteria. First, it must be able to be present in the victim’s
beverage without raising suspicion. This means it must be relatively
tasteless, without odder, and not impart any physical changes to the
beverage in question, i.e. color change, cloudy appearance or very oily
look. Second, it must render the victim in a quasi-comatose state so as
to aid in the perpetrators plans. It general has a synergistic effect
with alcohol, but that is not a requirement.
With this definition in mind, consider how alcohol has been
implicated and proven to be a primary factor in many rape cases. It
lowers victim’s inhibitions, and eliminates their power to reason
sometimes leaving them in potentially life threatening situation. But,
alcohol alone is not a Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault agent. It is
nearly impossible to forcibly give someone alcohol without them being
aware.
The same holds true for many of the so called 'Club Drugs' which have
gained notoriety in the media recently. The drug MDMA or as it is better
known as ecstasy has grown to become the illegal drug choice with club
goers throughout the United States in recent years. There have been
reported cases of assault against individuals while they were under the
influence of MDMA, but these victims unfortunately ingested the drug
with consent. Also, ecstasy doesn't fit the requirements of a true 'Date
Rape' agent. It is relatively insoluble in water and alcohol based
beverages, even when crushed.
Potentially there are thousands of agents which could be utilized to
accomplish this heinous act. Fortunately, there are really but a few
which seem to be abused the most for 'Date Rape'. Suffice to say, it
wouldn't be prudent to list every possible 'Date Rape' agent, first
because most are nearly unattainable to the common perpetrator, and
second, listing them might give an unscrupulous mind ideas. Drink Safe
Technologies has developed a safe, relatively fast diagnostic test to
detect the most abused 'Date Rape' drugs. This does not mean they are
the only drugs we test for. It just isn't appropriate to announce them
at this time. Also, if and when another drug rises to the infamous
status of the major drugs, you can be sure that the test will be
redesigned to accommodate them.
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