The
      Cadre
      +
      3
      November
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      RUTH
      FREEMAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Liquid
      Ec:
      ,
      Griev-
     
     
      ous
      Bodily
      Harm,
      Lay,
     
     
      Special
      K,
      Mind
      Eraser,
      Party
     
     
      Poppers,
      Roofies....
      Sound
     
     
      like
      the
      play-list
      from
      an
      alter-
     
     
      native
      rock
      station?
      Don’t
      kid
     
     
      yourself.
      For
      thousands
      of
     
     
      university
      women
      across
      North
     
     
      America,
      it’s
      more
      like
      chemi-
     
     
      cal
      warfare.
     
    

    
     
      If
      you’
      ve
      studied
      chem-
     
     
      istry,
      you
      might
      call
      them
     
     
      ae
      hydroxybutyrates,
     
    

    
     
      enzodiazepines
      or
     
     
      flunitrazepam.
      For
      the
      major-
     
     
      es
      of
      us
      who
      are
      chemistry-
     
     
      challenged,
      they
      are
      known
     
     
      simply
      as
      date
      drugs.
     
    

    
     
      They
      look
      innocent
     
     
      enough,
      sort
      of
      like
      aspirin
      —
     
     
      small,
      white
      tablets
      that
      dis-
     
     
      solve
      easily
      in
      liquid
      and
      are
     
     
      odourless,
      tasteless,
      and
      col-
     
     
      ourless.
      Their
      effects,
      how-
     
     
      ever,
      are
      far
      from
      innocent:
     
     
      quick
      intoxication,
      impaired
     
     
      judgement
      and
      coordination,
     
     
      drowsiness,
      dizziness,
      disori-
     
     
      entation,
      hot
      and
      cold
      flashes,
     
     
      and
      memory
      loss.
     
    

    
     
      Their
      characteristics
     
     
      make
      them
      the
      perfect
      acces-
     
     
      sory
      for
      the
      modern
      date
      ra
     
     
      ist.
      Simply
      slip
      one
      ina
      girl’s
     
     
      Coke,
      and
      eight
      hours
      later
     
     
      she’ll
      wake
      up
      in
      a
      strange
     
     
      place
      with
      no
      clothes
      and
      no
     
     
      memory
      of
      how
      she
      got
      there
     
     
      orwith
      whom.
      Within
      24
      hours,
     
     
      the
      drug
      will
      be
      untraceable
      in
     
     
      her
      system.
      Try
      cen
      a
     
     
      rape
      charge
      under
      those
      cir-
     
     
      cumstances.
     
    

    
     
      A
      Florida
      police
      officer
     
     
      told
      the
      Miami
      Times,
      “it’s
     
     
      almost
      like
      the
      perfect
      crime,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
       
       
     
     
        
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Date
      rape
      drugs
      revealed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      because
      they
      don’t
      have
      to
     
     
      worry
      about
      a
      witness
      testify-
     
     
      ing
      against
      them.
      She
      can’t
     
     
      by
      the
      time
      she’s
      tested
      for
      the
     
     
      drug,
      it’s
      long
      gone
      from
      her
     
     
      system.
      And
      don’t
      think
      these
     
     
      guys
      aren’t
      figuring
      that
      out.”
     
     
      so
      soa
      _
      common
      of
     
    

    
     
      is
      Rohypnol,
     
     
      which
      first
      ake
      an
      -
     
     
      ance
      in
      Florida
      in
      the
      earl
     
     
      1990s.
      Although
      the
      drug
      is
     
     
      illegal
      in
      many
      countries,
      in-
     
     
      cluding
      Canada
      and
      the
      United
     
     
      States,
      it
      is
      easily
      available
      in
     
     
      Mexico
      where
      it
      is
      used
      as
      a
     
     
      surgical
      anaesthetic
      and
      sleep-
     
     
      ing
      aid.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Shipments
      of
      the
      drug
     
     
      are
      smuggled
      across
      the
      US-
     
     
      Mexico
      border
      into
      Texas,
      and
     
     
      from
      there
      distributed
      around
     
     
      the
      country
      and,
      within
      the
      last
     
     
      few
      years,
      into
      Canada.
      Date
     
     
      rape
      drugs
      have
      been
      turning
     
     
      upat
      high
      schools
      and
      on
      cam-
     
     
      puses
      across
      the
      country.
     
    

    
     
      Are
      date
      rape
      drugs
      on
     
     
      the
      Island?
     
    

    
     
      “There
      is
      no
      reason
      to
     
     
      believe
      that
      they
      [the
      drugs]
     
     
      are
      not
      here.
      They
      are
      every-
     
     
      where
      else,”
      according
      to
      Cor-
     
     
      poral
      Veinot
      of
      the
      RCMP
     
     
      detachment
      in
      Montague.
      “We
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dealt
      with
      a
      sexual
      assault
      case
     
    

    
     
      recently
      which
      may
      well
      have
     
    

    
     
      been
      the
      result
      of
      one
      of
      these
     
    

    
     
      drugs,
      but
      there
      is
      no
      way
      to
     
     
      e
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      Anne
      Nicholson,
      Coor-
     
     
      dinator
      of
      the
      PEI
      and
     
     
      Sexual
      Assault
      Crisis
      Centre
     
     
      says
      that
      numerous
      rts
     
     
      made
      to
      the
      crisis
      line
      indicate
     
     
      the
      presence
      of
      date
      rape
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “A
      woman
      may
      have
     
     
      one
      drink,
      yet
      the
      e
      on
     
     
      her
      system
      and
      memory
      are
      so
     
     
      great
      that
      you
      know
      there
      is
     
     
      something
      more
      at
      work
      here
     
     
      than
      one
      drink
      of
      alcohol,”
     
     
      Nicholson
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Sounds
      bleak,
      but
     
     
      there
      is
      some
      good
      news.
     
    

    
     
      In
      an
      impressive
      show
     
    

    
     
      of
      corporate
      responsibility,
      the
     
     
      company
      that
      produces
     
     
      Rohypnol
      (Hoffmann-
     
     
      LaRoche
      Ltd.)
      is
      in
      the
      proc-
     
     
      ess
      of
      adding
      a
      blue
      dye
      to
      the
     
     
      tablets
      to
      make
      them
      easier
      to
     
     
      identify,
      and
      they
      have
      removed
     
     
      the
      2
      milligram
      dosage
      from
     
     
      the
      world-wide
      market.
      As
     
     
      well,
      more
      and
      more
      police
     
     
      departments
      and
      hospital
      emer-
     
     
      gency
      rooms
      are
      becoming
     
     
      aware
      of
      the
      importance
      of
     
     
      immediate
      testing
      for
      the
      pres-
     
     
      ence
      of
      date
      rape
      drugs
      in
     
     
      those
      reporting
      sexual
      assaults.
     
     
      This
      has
      resulted
      in
      an
      increas-
     
     
      ing
      number
      of
      successful
      pros-
     
     
      ecutions
      of
      rapists.
      Aware-
     
     
      ness
      is
      the
      best
      defence.
     
    

    
     
      By
      now
      there
      should
      be
     
     
      lots
      ofred
      warning
      lights
      flash-
     
     
      ing
      in
      your
      head,
      so
      here
      are
     
     
      some
      tips
      on
      how
      to
      stay
      safe
     
     
      from
      date
      rape
      drugs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Feature
      7
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Would
      you
      like
      to
     
     
      Improve
      Your
      Writing
     
     
      Skills?
      Writing
      coaches
     
     
      from
      the
      Faculty
      of
     
     
      Education
      are
      available
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Monday
      -Thursday
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bring
      your
      essay
      and
      they
     
     
      will
      give
      you
      free
      advice
     
     
      on
      the
      writing
      process.
     
     
      Room
      106,
      Robertson
     
     
      Library
     
     
      For
      further
      information,
     
     
      contact
      Linda
      Meggs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      566-
      0440
     
     
      e-mail
      address:
     
     
      Imeggs@upei.ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UL.
     
     
      EB
     
     
      T
     
     
      a
      ea
     
    
   
   
    
     
      University
      of
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
     
     
      550
      University
      Avenue
     
     
      C1A
      4P3