WHO'S WATCHING YOUR DRINK?

"Rape Drugs" A Jasper Bar Scene Threat

They can be tasteless, odourless and colourless, but so-called rape
drugs are all too common ingredients in Jasper bars.

Just ask Lorraine, a 22-year-old Winnipeg woman who is working in
town for the summer.

She was drugged about a month ago and spoke to the Jasper Booster
under the condition of anonymity.

Lorraine said what started off as a good time out with some friends
turned into a living nightmare when a stranger spiked her drink at a
local night spot.

"I left my drink with someone who I had been talking to for about a
half hour and then I went to sign up for Karaoke. I left it there for
two minutes," she said.

"After that, I don't remember too much."

Unlike others who have been drugged, Lorraine was lucky her ordeal
did not end in a sexual assault.

Displaying signs of extreme impairment, including hallucinations,
Lorraine's companions thought she might have had one too many drinks.

"My friends took me home. They thought I was really drunk until they
realized I only had one drink," she said.

The next day, Lorraine said she felt extremely ill and "violated."

Concerned about her reputation, Lorraine said she kept the incident
to herself rather than contacting police or seeking medical attention.

"I was worried because Jasper is a small town and at the time I was
employed at the hospital," she said.

"I know who it was that drugged me, but I don't know him well.
Actually, a few weeks later - I guess he didn't remember me - because
he offered me a drink again."

Admittedly naive to have left her drink unattended, Lorraine said she
had learned from the experience, especially when it came to
protecting herself from predators.

"I hold my drink in my hand and guard it like a child," she said.

"It's not just about leaving your drinks unattended, don't trust
anyone you know only for a day or two."

To this day, Lorraine said she had no idea what was slipped into her
drink, but the hallucinations she experienced led her to speculate it
was liquid acid.

"I don't know for sure but it wasn't one of the big three," she said,
referring to GHB, Ketamine and Rohypnol - more common rape drugs.

HIV West Yellowhead summer programmer Kelly Skehill said Lorraine's
experience was not unique in Jasper.

She said "predatory drugs" were very much a part of the Jasper bar
scene, and the non-profit was raising awareness by placing drink
toppers on unattended beverages throughout the town's drinking establishments.

The toppers have two small testing patches that can be used to
determine if a drink has been tampered with, but more importantly,
they raise awareness about the threat of drug assisted sexual
assault, she said.

What we tried to do is have two volunteers out at the bars every
night during the two week period," she said, adding the campaign ran
from July 1-14.

"I also do predatory drug training with bar mangers, volunteers and
anyone else interested in knowing more about predatory drugs."

Because, like Lorraine, many victims do not report being drugged and
assaulted, Skehill said it was difficult to determine how many people
in Jasper have been violated.

However, in 2006, she said there was an average of about two calls a
week from victims who believed they were drugged.

She said the good news was that by the end of the campaign, there
were far fewer unattended beverages to top with the warning.

But Skehill said people still underplayed the role of alcohol in drug
assisted assaults, and assumed that it was only females who needed to
be on guard.

She said in 2006, a male traveler was sexually assaulted by five
other male travelers, and woke up alone and disoriented in a local
hotel room before seeking help from Jasper's sexual health nurse.

"Some people think it's just an issue for women but guys can be
targeted too," Skehill warned.