MP CAMPAIGNS AGAINST DATE-RAPE DRUGS

On Tuesday - International Women's Day - Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam
MP James Moore began a national campus campaign against date-rape drugs.

"Date-rape drugs are a real threat to young women across the country, and I
want to do my part to ensure that this important issue is raised both
inside the House of Commons and on campuses across the country," Moore said
in a news release.

The MP's campaign, launched at Carleton University in Ottawa, includes
petitions to be tabled in Parliament, as well as the circulation of
information about the dangers of date-rape drugs and how women can protect
themselves.

Moore is using a private member's motion (M-189) to recommend to cabinet
that GHB and Rohypnol be identified in the Criminal Code under a separate
schedule as "date-rape drugs," with new and tougher penalties.

The motion would establish, in co-operation with provinces and territories,
a national initiative to educate women on the dangers of date-rape drugs
and related substances.

It would also create a national task force to establish guidelines for the
collection and documentation of evidence in sexual assault investigations,
in order to facilitate prosecutions.

"In recent years, date-rape drugs have become a real menace to women,"
Moore said. "The thugs and cowards who use these drugs to brutalize women
need to be fought in our laws, and women need to know how to protect
themselves from being victimized."

Date-rape drugs are typically slipped into drinks or food. They act
rapidly, rendering the victim unconscious and unresponsive with little or
no memory of what happened to them while the drug was in their system.

All traces of the drug can leave the body within 72 hours, and often do not
show up in routine toxicology screens or blood tests, making prosecution
for sexual assault difficult.