NEW DATE RAPE EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS: UPEI OFFICER

Three years ago the P.E.I. liquor commission initiated funding for a new
initiative that targeted the date rape drug.

The Posters and Coasters campaign was the result of many prominent local
organizations collaborating to create a new and informative campaign that
directly targeted young people.

The operation's primary goal was to raise awareness about date rape drugs,
as well as to promote responsible drinking habits.

Wendy Adams, a police officer at UPEI, has been involved with the project
since its conception. "We are pleased to be part of it here at
UPEI. Anytime that our department has the opportunity to go out and speak
we always promote this campaign."

Adams believes that the project's success is largely in part of the strong
support of the UPEI Student Union as well as the students.

Distributing the posters and encouraging the campus bar to display the
coasters has been an integral part of the success. "It was a lot of fun
and the people involved are amazing.

The Student Union really stepped up to the plate and UPEI students were
more than happy to donate their time," Adams said.

The initial campaign first started two years ago in October 2005 and even
though some people think date rape doesn't happen, Adams warns, "date rape
drugs are a threat anywhere. The province did this for a reason."

The primary campaign consisted of posters and coasters that displayed a
silhouetted hand attempting to drug a drink. The caption read, "date rape
drugs are easily slipped into drinks".

Adams explains that the first campaign was targeted at educating students
about the possibility of date rape drugs being dropped into their drinks.

The posters offer practical and feasible advice, like not leaving drinks
unattended or accepting drinks from other people.

The second campaign focused on the criminal penalty. "We selected a
picture of the consequences as we wanted to send a message to those who
were dropping the drugs."

The date rape drug, most often found to be a white, dime-sized pill of GHB,
Ketamine, or Rohypnol is colourless and odourless. Its effect produces an
amnesia like state that makes it very difficult, if not impossible, for the
victim to remember the assault. The drug only stays in the body for up to
eight hours.

Adams explains that from a law enforcement standpoint, the crime of
drugging someone's drink can be a difficult case to mount, as most often
the evidence is lost and the witnesses are gone.

No one on P.E.I. has ever been charged with this offense. This is why
educational campaigns are so important for students and their parents.

The province has responded by implementing the educational coaters and
posters program rather than an 'indicator' coaster program. Adams
explained that a Canadian company had claimed to create a coaster that
could indicate if a drink had been spiked. The P.E.I. liquor commission
and all parties involved thought it was best to participate in an
educational campaign as "nothing is absolute and it may give a person a
false sense of security."

Adams adds, "everybody was very receptive and thought it was great to
educate the public, the posters and coasters have gone quite quickly and it
was all very positive.

"The third launch of the campaign is still in the planning stages. "We
don't know right yet, we are updating our website and we're always putting
out new information."

As the education campaign continues Adams hopes that students will stop and
take a minute to read the posters and use precaution in the future.More
information can be found at the P.E.I. Rape Crisis Centre, or by logging on
to http://www.peirsacc.org