Texas school puts date rape drug detectors in drink coasters for spring break

[Playinghardball]

Texas college is preparing for spring break by handing out drink coasters that can detect date rape drugs.

KVEO reported on Wednesday that Texas State Technical College (TSTC) was providing students with 10,000 coasters that had the ability to detect if drinks had been spiked with common date rape drugs like Rohypnol or Xanax.

“It’s important for students to have these because, uh, they’re going off to spring break and they’re doing things that they wouldn’t normally do,” TSTC counselor Michael Muniz told the station.

As TSTC’s website notes, the school’s Harlingen campus is located “just forty miles from the beaches of South Padre Island and just north of the Mexico border.”

“There’s a lot of people at these bars, especially on the Island,” Muniz explained. “So what we want them to do is be safe, so they can come back to school, finish college, be successful, and have successful lives.”

Muniz suggested that students should take a few drops of their drinks and rub them on the coaster. If the spot turns blue, it’s an indication that drugs have been added to the drink.


More and see the video at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/06/texas-school-puts-date-rape-drug-detectors-in-drink-coasters-for-spring-break/

[redgreenandblue]

1. Great idea.

[seabeyond]

2. never heard of this. sounds great. access everywhere... hand 'em out.

and... fuckin' sad.

[Solly Mack]

3. You can buy them online.

http://www.drinksafetech.com/date-rape-test-coaster/

http://safetychick.com/date-rape-prevention-drink-coaster/

I think all bars should have them handy. All colleges should make them available.

[riderinthestorm]

4. Brilliant. Should be standard in the "Welcome Freshman" bags on campus... nt

[MagickMuffin]

5. Can they be used over and over again?

If so that would be exceptional. It definitely is a sad situation that people have to take such precautions because of sexual predators.

[joeybee12]

6. This is a very good idea, although it is really upsetting...

That there really is a need for this.

[cui bono]

7. What a sad state of affairs we are in that these are necessary.

At least they are here though. And hopefully inexpensive and readily available.

The real solution of course is to raise our young men to have more respect for women and themselves really.

[jtuck004]

8. These ought to be in holders at the front door of every place where you can get alchohol. n/t

[Comrade Grumpy]

12. Your post is ironic, since alcohol is by far the biggest date rape drug ever.

[Make7]

16. Is there any distinction between knowingly and unknowingly consuming a drug? ( n/t )

[Comrade Grumpy]

17. There is a huge ethical difference, but the end result is the same, I suppose.

It would be the difference between "I got so drunk I couldn't take care of myself" and "Someone drugged me and I can't take care of myself." In either case, the person is in a vulnerable spot.

[bettyellen]

21. Nope. Roofies are a LOT worse than most heavy drinking. No comparison.

[Comrade Grumpy]

22. I dunno. I don't have a lot of experience with roofies.

I have seen people so drunk on alcohol that not only are they passed out, they stay passed out with cold beer dumped on them.

But again, my main point is dealing with collegiate alcohol consumption would probably have a far greater impact on campus rape than handing out "date rape" drug kits. Still, you can do both.

[bettyellen]

25. It hits very strong and very fast, and you are not coming out of it for hours. You can do both, and

also I think this might actually deter some assholes. The possibility of being discovered doing this, with your college peers around? I do think that could stop a few who considered Spring Break a great place to try doing it.

[jtuck004]

23. True, but I think most people, after a time, kind of know what to do and how to handle, or not,

the effects.

Putting drugs into the mix create a synergistic effect that neither the victim nor the attacker can predict.

As an example, nearly the most dangerous job is that of lumberjack. So we know there work is dangerous, now put a bit of contact explosive in random trees so it blows up and kills someone periodically.

Even though they know their work is dangerous, I bet they would still like to have a meter scan for the chemicals of the explosive before they touch the tree with a chainsaw.

[LadyHawkAZ]

9. Last time I looked there were glasses, straws and stirrers

in development too.

Good idea.

[marble falls]

10. I like it.

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. Biggest date rape drug by several orders of magnitude is alcohol.

Will this detect the presence of that?

[bettyellen]

14. Oh bummer! it wont prevent all rape, is therefore no good at all, right? was that your point?

It may actually prevent other felonies, but who gives a shit, right?

[Comrade Grumpy]

15. It seems like a worthy, but misguided, effort.

I don't have hard numbers handy (do you?), but I think it's a safe wager that alcohol is at play in campus rapes to a far, far greater extent than the much ballyhooed "date rape" drugs. "Drink smart" campaigns would probably be a more effective tool than this, but that isn't to say you can't have both.

I don't know what other felonies you're talking about.

[bettyellen]

19. other felonies- administering a drug?possibly kidnapping? just spreading conciousness

that it happens will make some women a lot more aware that their are predators about.
It can't hurt to be more aware, and think about what it means to go blotto too.
We had a local place this was happening, and they would have never caught the bar tender doing it if people hadn't been aware and chattering and warning others about it. Awareness is good.

[gollygee]

20. There's nothing misguided here

Drink smart campaigns will help women who drink too much, but they won't help women who drink very little because they want to make sure they're safe, but whose drinks get spiked.

[Comrade Grumpy]

24. But how prevalent is that, really? I don't know. Do you? Anybody?

[bettyellen]

26. There have been a few outbreaks in my town- one was a bartender who was caught. People were

gossiping about that place having incidents for a couple years.
A few of my friends are bartenders, and have seen the too suddenly out like a light thing happen to customers, and they stepped in- made sure the woman's own friends would get her home, instead of the guy they all barely knew who was anxious t "help" . They are pretty sure they stopped rapes from happening. If you aren't paying attention, you might never notice it.

[Major Nikon]

30. Kinda hard to consume ethanol without knowing it

[azurnoir]

13. Great idea hopefully it catches on -quickly n/t

[Cha]

18. Wow.. what an invention!

[tosh]

27. K&R.

Date rape drugs are more prevalent than most realize.

[F4lconF16]

28. Can this be used to press charges in any way?

I didn't see anything about that in the article. There should be something...but there probably isn't. And I doubt you could prove intended rape very easily.

As has already been said, I'm glad these are available. I just wish they weren't necessary.

[xfundy]

29. I'd love to see results of these being used

at a repiglican event.