Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

[Sarah Kenney <>]

Hi all,

I wanted to chime in on the topic of predatory drug testing devices.  I've 
been on a bit of a soapbox about these things, and recently created a 
handout about this very topic.  I'll paste the content from my handout 
below, since I'm not sure whether attachments work on this listserv.

I have to say that of the rape drug/predatory drug testing devices on the 
market, the Drink Detective device seems to be the most reliable and to 
test for the widest range of substances (I met the creator at a conference 
last year and he seemed relatively reliable and well-educated about the 
reality of sexual violence).  That being said, I absolutely agree with Ross 
that we need to engage in a much bigger conversation about what we're 
trying to accomplish with these devices.  I personally recommend against 
mass distribution of rape drug testers on campus because I think they're 
not adequate or appropriate for the kinds of environments where most 
students are drinking, they can't keep up with the innovations of the 
predators creating these drugs and their analogs, and they take the focus 
away from the fact that alcohol is still far and away the substance most 
often used to facilitate sexual violence.

As someone who was drugged while hanging out with friends in a bar, I can 
tell you that one of these devices would NOT have prevented what happened 
to me.  First of all, if I had been given a testing device, I doubt I would 
have waited the ten or fifteen minutes necessary for the test to be 
accurate (I was drugged in a tequila shot - not exactly conducive to 
sitting around and waiting).  And if I had used a drink tester and received 
a negative result from a faulty or inadequate testing device (we believe we 
were drugged with GHB, before any devices were testing for it), and 
therefore believed that my drink was "safe", I would only have blamed 
myself more after the fact.

Just my two cents!
sarah

Here's the text from our handout:

The proliferation of devices such as coasters and test strips that claim to 
detect predatory drugs in drinks is cause for concern.  Many colleges and 
universities provide these devices to incoming students.  This practice is 
also troubling, especially if the devices are distributed without any 
accompanying information about the reality of sexual violence on campus and 
the fact that most of the testing devices are flawed at best.

The strips, cards and coasters only test for a limited range of drugs.
Drink Safe test cards, for example, only test for Ketamine and GHB.  They 
don't identify increasingly common analogs of these drugs (like GBL or BD) 
or any of the many other substances that are used as rape drugs.  A 
negative result, therefore, is very misleading.  It may mean that one’s 
drink is probably free of these two substances, but it may well contain one 
of dozens of other common predatory drugs that aren’t addressed by the test 
strip.  When one considers that there isn't even an effective field test 
available yet for law enforcement to detect the presence of rape drugs, it 
seems unlikely that these promotional companies have created an effective 
testing device that will guarantee the safety of a drink.

The tests are impractical.
Many of the tests take a long time to dry and it may be 15 minutes before 
they identify a drug in someone's drink - which is often too late. 
Additionally, the color differentiation is almost indistinguishable with 
drugs contained in darker-colored beverages such as wine or drinks with 
darker fruit juice.  The website for Drink Safe, one of the biggest 
distributors of the testing devices, indicates that the tests only work 
reliably in certain circumstances.  If one takes the time to examine their 
“scientific research” on the website, it reveals that the tests are only 
completely effective with certain kinds of alcohol.  Additionally, tests 
were only effective on several of the most common kinds of cocktails “when 
larger doses of GHB were used rather than suggested protocol”.

Testing devices completely ignore one of the most common predatory drugs: 
alcohol.
Alcohol is far and away the most common drug used to facilitate sexual 
assault - especially on college campuses. If a customer tests a cocktail on 
a little test strip and then proceeds to drink several "drug-free" drinks, 
she or he is still likely to be impaired and too intoxicated to consent to 
sexual activity, regardless of whether someone drugged her or him or 
not.  And if she or he is sexually assaulted while intoxicated, it's 
certainly not their fault – it's the fault of the 
perpetrator.  Additionally, these testing devices may give potential 
victims a false sense of security. This concern is only confirmed by the 
first "testimonial" on Drink Safe's website, which says:  "These testers 
have just put the life back in the party. I can test my drinks all night 
and know that I’m being safe and the people I’m with and meeting are safe. 
These testers give me my power back."

Perhaps most damagingly, these testing devices assume a very limited 
scenario of sexual violence:  that the perpetrator is likely to be a 
complete stranger who surreptitiously drugs a drink and then approaches the 
victim in a bar.  Although this is certainly the case in some situations, 
the vast majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone known to 
the survivor, and they're likely to take place in her home or the home of 
the perpetrator.

If we're teaching people that all they need to do is test their drinks to 
be safe from sexual violence, then we're seriously missing the point.



>   But I think that offering items like this to our campuses raises some
> deeper ethical questions. Is it useful to do this? Does it create a
> false sense of security when alcohol (which the Drink Detective does NOT
> test for) is the most widely used date rape drug? Are we simply throwing
> up our hands in the face of drug-facilitated rape, and putting the
> responsibility of the victim once again?
>
> Peace,
> Ross


*************************
Sarah Kenney
Public Policy Coordinator
VT Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
PO Box 405, Montpelier, VT  05601
v 802.223.1302  *  f 802.223.6943  *  tty 802.223.1115
www.vtnetwork.org
*************************