DATE RAPE DRUG TEST CARDS

Pharmacy manager Helen Joannou sells the plastic-wrapped kits from the
Pharmasave counter at 499 Granville St. While not yet a "huge seller,"
Joannou says feedback has "generally" been positive.

"Some women say, 'Wow, this is a good thing, we should have one on
us,'" she says. "Others just think it's awful that one has to resort
to this."

Joannou, who began selling the kits in mid-December, cautions the
cards do not work with wine or drinks containing citrus juices or
dairy products.

"I believe it's quite a useful thing to have, provided people know how
to use them," she says.

The Vancouver Police Department, however, does not endorse the test
cards, which retail for $2.99.

Const. Sarah Bloor fears the kits will lure women into a false sense
of security.

"We have done some testing and we haven't found them to be conclusive
and therefore we have some concerns that people would put their
complete trust in [them]," says Bloor.

"We're not in support of tester kits.

"We still go with the advice if you leave your drink unattended,
consider it finished."

Would Jenine Lehfeldt have used one of the new Date Rape Drug Test
Cards had they been available last summer when she was out dancing?
Probably not.

"I would definitely use one now," says Lehfeldt, adding she is afraid
and wary in bar settings.

"I pretty much hug my drink the whole night. "If I happen to put it
down, I won't drink it. It's a waste of a couple of dollars, but so
what."

Date-rape drug test kits may not be foolproof and they may be socially
awkward, but when a woman reaches into her wallet and sees that kit
tucked in between her money and credit cards, perhaps it will remind
her to be on guard. However disheartening that may be.

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HOW TO SAFEGUARD YOUR BAR BEVERAGE

- - Do not leave your drink unattended, and if you do, discard
it.

- - Don't accept drinks from strangers, but if you do, watch them being
poured and take them yourself.

- - Do not share your drinks or drink from a container that is being
passed around.

- - Don't drink out of punch bowls.

- - Go out with a friend or friends, have a buddy system and watch each
others drinks.

- - Order bottled drinks, which are harder to spike and easier to
guard.

- - Remember alcohol is, by far, still the most common factor in sexual
assaults.