Prince
      Edward
      Island
      can-_
      or
      throwing
      up,
      or
      being
      at
      the
      hos-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      not
      run
      nor
      hide
      from
      date
      rape
     
     
      drugs.
     
    

    
     
      On
      March
      17,
      a
      Brown’s
     
     
      Court
      resident
      was
      victim
      of
      drink
     
     
      tampering.
      The
      victim,
      who
      asked
     
     
      to
      remain
      anonymous,
      was
      given
      a
     
     
      potentially
      deadly
      cocktail
      of
     
     
      drugs.
      The
      perpetrator
      was
      not
     
     
      identified,
      and
      the
      incident
      was
      not
     
     
      reported
      to
      the
      city
      police,
      but
      two
     
     
      of
      the
      victim’s
      friends,
      Krista
      and
     
     
      Emilie,
      who
      were
      present
      that
      night
     
     
      have
      decided
      to
      speak
      out.
     
    

    
     
      “Shannon*
      had
      only
      had
      a
     
     
      couple
      of
      drinks
      at
      Brown’s
      Court,
     
     
      said
      Krista,
      the
      victim’s
      friend,
      “but
     
     
      by
      the
      time
      we
      got
      to
      the
      Barn,
      she
     
     
      said
      she
      wasn’t
      feeling
      right
      and
     
     
      she
      visibly
      appeared
      to
      be
      extreme-
     
     
      ly
      intoxicated.”
      The
      group
      of
     
     
      friends
      were
      at
      the
      Panther
      Lounge
     
     
      for
      approximately
      15
      minutes
     
     
      before
      the
      Campus
      Police
      on
      duty
     
     
      felt
      Shannon
      was
      too
      drunk
      and
     
     
      should
      be
      removed
      from
      the
     
     
      lounge.
     
    

    
     
      Her
      friends
      knew
      some-
     
     
      thing
      was
      wrong,
      said
      Krista.
      The
     
     
      group
      returned
      to
      Brown’s
      Court
     
     
      and
      called
      an
      ambulance.
      “By
      that
     
     
      point,
      she
      was
      basically
      uncon-
     
     
      scious
      and
      was
      throwing
      up
      severe-
     
     
      ly,”
      she
      explained.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      almost
      let
      her
      go
     
     
      home.
      She
      could
      have
      been
      lying
      in
     
     
      a
      snowbank
      by
      the
      time
      we
      came
     
     
      back
      [to
      Brown’s
      Court],
      she
      could
     
     
      barely
      walk,”
      said
      Emilie.
     
    

    
     
      Shannon
      was
      taken
      to.
      the
     
     
      Queen
      Elizabeth
      Hospital
      (QEH)
     
     
      where
      Emergency
      Room
      personnel
     
     
      concluded
      that
      she
      had
      been
      victim
     
     
      of
      drink
      tampering.
      “She
      woke
      up
     
     
      the
      next
      morning
      and
      didn’t
     
     
      remember
      the
      whole
      night,”
      Krista
     
     
      said.
      “All
      she
      could
      remember
      was
     
     
      arriving
      at
      the
      Barn
      and
      after
      that
     
     
      everything
      was
      blank.
      She
      can’t
     
     
      remember
      being
      in
      the
      ambulance,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pital,
      or
      the
      doctors
      trying
      to
      get
      the
     
     
      IV
      in
      her,
      or
      anything.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      drug,
      either
      Rohypnol
     
     
      or
      GHB,
      is
      tasteless,
      odourless,
      and
     
     
      colourless
      and
      will
      therefore
      go
     
     
      undetected
      in
      one’s
      drink
      Although
     
     
      the
      drug
      is
      not
      as
      harmful
      and
     
     
      effective
      in
      non-alcoholic
      drinks,
     
     
      students
      are
      advised
      to
      watch
      their
     
     
      drinks
      carefully.
      “There
      is
      a
      fine
     
     
      line
      between
      getting
      high
      from
      the
     
     
      drug
      and
      dying,”
      said
      Emilie.
     
    

    
     
      Krista
      and
      Emilie
      were
     
     
      told
      that
      almost
      any
      chemistry
     
     
      major,
      or
      anyone
      who
      has
      some
     
     
      knowledge
      of
      chemistry
      can
      put
      the
     
     
      drug
      cocktail
      together
      —
      in
      certain
     
     
      instances
      a
      simple
      combination
      of
     
     
      over-the-counter
      medications.
     
     
      “What
      scares
      us
      is
      the
      dosage
      that
     
     
      was
      given
      was
      so
      high
      that
      obvi-
     
     
      ously
      the
      person
      didn’t
      know
      what
     
     
      they
      were
      doing,
      they
      were
      just
     
     
      popping
      these
      pills
      into
      people’s
     
     
      drinks.
      She
      could
      easily
      could
      have
     
     
      died,”
      said
      Emilie.
     
    

    
     
      Emergency
      Room
      doctors
     
     
      told
      Shannon
      that
      this
      was
      not
      the
     
     
      first
      incident.
      However,
      when
     
     
      David
      Sims,
      chair
      of
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Sexual
      Harassment
      Committee,
     
     
      inquired
      into
      the
      QEH’s
      records
      for
     
     
      the
      last
      six
      months,
      hospital
      offi-
     
     
      cials
      said
      that
      they
      felt
      that
      this
      had
     
     
      been
      the
      only
      case.
     
    

    
     
      Sims
      was
      unavailable
      for
     
     
      comment.
     
    

    
     
      When
      contacted,
      the
      QEH
     
     
      Emergency
      room
      doctors
      on
      duty
     
     
      were
      unaware
      of
      the
      incident
      and
     
     
      did
      not
      feel
      comfortable
      discussing
     
     
      the
      diagnoses
      and
      effects
      of
      such
      a
     
     
      drug.
      The
      RCMP’s
      crime
      lab
      or
     
     
      Poison
      Control
      were
      noted
      as
      pos-
     
     
      sibly
      more
      reliable
      sources
      by
      the
     
     
      hospital’s
      public
      relations
      office.
     
    

    
     
      “Both
      Emilie
      and
      I
      have
     
     
      announced
      it
      to
      our
      classes
      and
      I
     
     
      can’t
      get
      over
      the
      amount
      of
      people
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      who
      said
      ‘Yeah,
      I
      think
      this
      has
     
     
      happened
      to
      me,
      [or]
      this
      has
      hap-
     
     
      pened
      to
      my
      friend,”
      said
      Krista.
     
    

    
     
      With
      the
      help
      of
      the
      Sexual
     
     
      Harassment
      Committee,
      Krista
      and
     
     
      Emilie
      hope
      to
      raise
      awareness
      at
     
     
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      The
      sexual
      harassment
     
     
      committee
      have
      been
      extremely
     
     
      helpful,
      said
      Krista.
      “David
      Sims
     
     
      has
      put
      a
      lot
      of
      time
      and
      research
      in
     
     
      finding
      out
      about
      this
      [drug],
      and
     
     
      they
      are
      very
      upset
      and
      very
      serious
     
     
      about
      [fighting
      drink
      tampering].”
     
     
      An
      information
      package
      will
      be
     
     
      given
      to
      every
      first
      year
      student
      in
     
     
      the
      fall.
     
    

    
     
      Sims
      told
      Krista
      and
      Emilie
     
     
      that
      women
      are
      not
      the
      only
      victims
     
     
      of
      drink
      tampering;
      men
      can
      also
     
     
      fall
      victim
      to
      this
      potentially
      deadly
     
     
      prank.
     
    

    
     
      Both
      students
      put
      informa-
     
     
      tion
      and
      awareness
      posters
      up
      in
     
     
      the
      women’s
      and
      men’s
      washroom
     
    
   
   
    
     
      at
      the
      Barn,
      but
      most
      have
      been
     
     
      torn
      down.
      The
      two
      girls
      did
      not
     
     
      expect
      the
      posters
      to
      have
      much
      of
     
     
      an
      effect,
      but
      apparently
      patrons
      of
     
     
      the
      Panther
      Lounge
      were
      dis-
     
     
      cussing
      the
      incident,
      they
      said.
     
     
      “That
      is
      what
      we
      want:
      we
      want
     
     
      people
      to
      be
      aware,”
      said
      Emilie.
     
    

    
     
      But
      for
      Shannon
      it
      is
      too
     
     
      late.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      unfortunate
      thing
      is
     
     
      that
      our
      friend
      that
      this
      has
      hap-
     
     
      pened
      to
      still
      isn’t
      willing
      to
      drink
     
     
      when
      we
      are
      in
      public
      anymore.
     
     
      She
      won’t
      even
      have
      a
      glass
      of
      pop
     
     
      because
      she
      is
      afraid
      that
      someone
     
     
      will
      tamper
      with
      it,”
      said
      Emilie.
     
    

    
     
      “This
      is
      something
      every-
     
     
      body
      has
      heard
      about,
      but
      you
      don’t
     
     
      think
      it
      is
      going
      to
      happen
      here,”
     
     
      said
      Krista.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *the
      name
      of
      the
      victim
      was
     
     
      changed
      to
      keep
      her
      anonymity.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~~
      Th,
      Sante,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “¥