SAFETY: COASTERS MAY NOT DETECT DRUGS

NORMAL, Illinois - While the United States is one of the few countries that
produces drink coasters designed to detect date rape drugs, the U.S. also
has the highest rate of sexual assaults.

The coasters, which turn dark blue within 30 seconds of absorbing alcohol
containing a date rape drug, can be effective in some cases but not in others.

Manufactured by the same company responsible for fake snow and party foam,
these coasters, which include toothpicks and litmus paper used to detect
date rape drugs, have turned out to be ineffective, according to Gail
Trimpe-Morrow, sexual assault services coordinator at ISU Health Services.

People thought that these coasters were safe, which gave them a false sense
of security, said Vickie Smith, program director of the McLean County
Sexual Assault Centre. Dark drinks such as red wine and rum and coke and
acid-based drinks such as screwdrivers did not seem to be very reliable
when absorbed on the coasters, she explained.

GHB, rohypnol and ketamine hydrochloride are the three major date rape
drugs. The coasters are unreliable as they only test for GHB, which is not
present in all date rape drugs, Trimpe-Morrow explained.

A person should always keep his or her drink with them at all times, Smith
said. As well, alcohol is the biggest "date rape" drug, Trimpe-Morrow said.
U-Wire