INCREASED USE OF DATE-RAPE DRUG ALARMS POLICE

Unprecedented Number Of Sexual Assaults Suspected

Vancouver police are warning the public about an unprecedented number of
possible sexual assaults in recent days, all linked to a date-rape drug.

Sergeant Tom McCluskie of the VPD sexual offence squad said police are
investigating eight reported cases of GHB (gamma hydroxy butyrate) being
slipped into women's drinks at city bars and nightclubs in the past 10
days. As many as 24 similar incidents have been reported since May.

"It's an alarming trend right now. That's an unusual amount," McCluskie
said. "It's a considerable amount more [than in years past]. Certainly,
without question we're seeing an increasing trend."

The most recent incident occurred Tuesday night at a night club in south
Vancouver. The female victim was found unconscious in an industrial area
after she left the establishment. McCluskie said police have reason to
suspect the woman was sexually assaulted.

All the recent cases involve women who live in the Lower Mainland and were
drinking at public establishments. Police are not revealing the names of
the women or the establishments.

McCluskie said GHB is considered a 'party drug' that can, in small doses,
increase sexual arousal. In large doses, the drug can lead to complete loss
of consciousness, giddiness, slurred speech, loss of inhibition, even death.

Someone who overdoses on GHB typically passes out for about three hours and
cannot be awakened. GHB is clear and, when diluted in a drink, has no
taste. Combined with alcohol, the drug's effects are more pronounced.

Victims often wake up with no idea what has happened to them, McCluskie
said, which makes the job of investigating the recent rash of GHB
poisonings difficult.

"People are basically rendered unconscious for a period of time, somewhere
between two and four hours where they have absolutely no recollection of
the specific time period," McCluskie explained.

"Typically, the victim takes two or three days to come around, to realize
something terrible happened. We don't have the luxury of getting proper
toxicology [tests completed]. We don't get their urine, we don't get their
blood, because they don't come in [to the police station to report the
possible assault]," he said.

"First of all, in effect, we have no witness. The victim themselves can't
tell us what happened. They don't know if there was a sexual assault, but
there are some circumstances that are concerning to them.

"One is that they woke up naked in their bed and they don't remember going
to bed, don't remember even going home. There is an assumption, because
they're naked that they were sexually assaulted, and that's not a quantum leap.

"They remember getting to a stage where they were either tipsy or there was
a loss of balance that was inconsistent with the amount of alcohol consumed
and the next thing, they wake up several hours later, usually it's nude,
often it's in their own residence," McCluskie said.

Police are currently reviewing surveillance videos from the bars the women
were drinking in and talking to their friends in an effort to discover with
whom they might have left the drinking establishments. McCluskie does not
believe the eight recent incidents are the work of one individual.

The sexual offence squad plans to meet today to discuss enforcement
strategies and a public awareness campaign to prevent more people from
being victimized.

According to McCluskie, the best defence is vigilance. Asking friends to
take care of your drink is not a foolproof plan because while you're
dancing or in the washroom, those friends may look away for a few moments
and it takes "less than two seconds" to administer a GHB dose powerful
enough to knock a victim out.

"You have to never lose visual contact with that drink. If you do, don't
drink it," McCluskie warned.

BAR DRUG

What is GHB?

GHB is gamma hydroxy butyrate, and is made from gamma butyrolactone mixed
with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. It is a compound naturally
produced in very small amounts in the body to aid in normal metabolism. It
is clear and looks like water.

What are its effects?

Intoxication, increased energy, feelings of affection and joyfulness,
sensuality, increased sexual awareness, muscle relaxation, loss of gag
reflex and loss of coordination due to loss of muscle tone. Other effects
include confusion, dizziness, seizures, weakness, hallucinations, vomiting,
slow heart rate, anxiety.

Effects of large doses?

Sedation, sleepiness, rambling and incoherent speech, difficulty thinking,
silliness, giddiness, unconsciousness, or death.

Effects of overdose?

Sleep or sedation from which the victim cannot be awakened by any means for
two to three hours, or death.