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

Ross,
    There was one thing in what you said that I think  you really need to 
challenge with your local prosecutor -- the  statement that "in Illinois, 
drugging someone - by itself - is not a  crime."
    I'm not admitted to practice law in Illinois -- and  maybe you have 
unique laws, or some really odd case that I don't know  about -- but in just 
about 
every state as far as I know drugging someone  violates crimes like drug 
trafficking ("sale" of illegal drugs  generally only requires the transfer of 
an 
illegal drug from one person to  another) or (in the case of legal drugs) 
practicing medicine without a  license and/or dispensing prescriptions 
without a 
license. Also in most  states inducing unconsciousness is an assault or a 
battery 
(and the attempt to  induce it is an attempted assault or attempted battery.) 
    Some confusion has come in because in recent years  some states, like 
Oregon, have passed legislation attempting to specifically  target 
drug-facilitated rape drugs. These new laws have real implementation  
problems because they 
often require proof of intent that is hard to come by. But  none of the new 
laws have repealed the older, broader ones. 
    The reason the distinction is so important is that  I think that in 
general we've overlooked a huge resource. I would love to see a  SART connect 
up 
with the "war on drug" part of law enforcement. Generally  the drug 
enforcement 
folks have better (or at least older) forms of  funding, resources and 
organization. The local drug team should know or be able  to pull reports, 
for 
example, on burglaries at veterinary offices -- and then  correlate them up 
with 
your students reporting ketamine symptoms.
    None of this is meant to minimize the importance of  other campus-based 
efforts against drug facilitated rape. I just don't want to  see law 
enforcement let off the hook because they have lead you to believe that  
drugging 
someone is not a crime.