What is Date Rape?

The title 'Date Rape' is a very general term which, has come to represent some very different situations. It can be the victimization and subsequent rape of an individual by someone they know intimately or just as an acquaintance. It can occur on a first date, or by someone the victim has come to know and trust.

This same phrase has also come to represent another disturbing variation of rape. It is more appropriately called drug-facilitated sexual assault, and it has been increasing in frequency at an alarming rate. As with most rape, it is difficult to ascertain the true extent of this crime.

In its purest definition, this form of 'Date Rape' is accomplished by the placement of a drug, legal or illegal, into an unaware victims' consumable without their prior knowledge or consent. This drug must meet certain criteria. First, it must be able to be present in the victim’s beverage without raising suspicion. This means it must be relatively tasteless, without odor, and not impart any physical changes to the beverage in question, i.e. color change, cloudy appearance or very oily look. Second, it must render the victim in a quasi-comatose state so as to aid in the perpetrators plans. It general has a synergistic effect with alcohol, but that is not a requirement.

With this definition in mind, consider how alcohol has been implicated and proven to be a primary factor in many rape cases. It lowers victim’s inhibitions, and eliminates their power to reason sometimes leaving them in potentially life threatening situation. But, alcohol alone is not a drug facilitated sexual assault agent. It is nearly impossible to forcibly give someone alcohol without them being aware.

The same holds true for many of the so-called 'Club Drugs' which, have gained notoriety in the media recently. The drug MDMA or as it is better known as ecstasy has grown to become the illegal drug choice with club goers throughout the United States in recent years. There have been reported cases of assault against individuals while they were under the influence of MDMA, but these victims unfortunately ingested the drug with consent. Also, ecstasy doesn't fit the requirements of a true 'Date Rape' agent. It is relatively insoluble in water and alcohol based beverages, even when crushed.

Potentially there are thousands of agents which, could be utilized to accomplish this heinous act. Fortunately, there are really but a few which seem to be abused the most for 'Date Rape'. Suffice to say, it wouldn't be prudent to list every possible 'Date Rape' agent, first because most are nearly unattainable to the common perpetrator, and second, listing them might give an unscrupulous mind ideas. Drink Safe Technologies, Inc. has developed a safe, relatively fast diagnostic test to detect the most abused 'Date Rape' drugs. This does not mean they are the only drugs we test for. It just isn't appropriate to announce them at this time. Also, if and when another drug rises to the infamous status of the major drugs, you can be sure that the test will be redesigned to accommodate them.