Ruth Puts Drug Safe Coasters To The Test
Can A Piece Of Cardboard Save Your Life?
POSTED: 5:43 p.m. EDT August 2, 2002
UPDATED: 1:18 p.m. EDT August 5, 2002
Could a cardboard coaster protect you from dangerous date rape drugs?
The manufacturer claims it can detect if your drink has been spiked with GHB. But does Drink Safe work?
What starts as an evening of fun can quickly fade into a hazy nightmare.
Dangerous date-rape drugs are tasteless, colorless and odorless. They are drugs that can be slipped into your drink without you even knowing it.
The drugs can cause you to lose control, and allow a predator to control you.
That's exactly what happened to one rape victim we'll call "Gena."
"As far as what happened that night, I don't know. I know something happened otherwise I would have woke up in my clothes," Gena said.
A night of partying at a local bar turned tragic for Gena. Her drink was spiked with a date-rape drug. Hours later, she woke up naked in a stranger's bed.
"I never thought it would happen to me," she said.
The traumatic event, which lasted just a matter of hours, changed her life forever.
"Ever since then I have nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks," she said.
Sadly, most rape victims experience the same trauma.
"I became interested in date rape about five years ago when a close friend of mine was drugged and raped in a five-star hotel. It really bothered me that downstairs in the bar, he was able to be raped this way," said Francisco Guerra, who developed the Drink Safe coaster.
The concept is simple: place a few drops of your drink on the test circle of the coaster, and in seconds you have the results.
"It will turn blue if there is something in your drink,and if nothing is in your drink it will stay the same color," Guerra said.
Ruth to the Rescue, with help from the Michigan State Police crime lab, conducted our own tests on the Drink Safe coasters to see if they really work.
We found that Drink Safe worked better using clear liquid, such as gin and tonic.
In drinks such as red wine, it was harder to detect the presence of a drug.
Drink safe coasters will soon be available at local 7-Eleven stores.
For more information on the coasters, click here.
The manufacturer claims it can detect if your drink has been spiked with GHB. But does Drink Safe work?
What starts as an evening of fun can quickly fade into a hazy nightmare.
Dangerous date-rape drugs are tasteless, colorless and odorless. They are drugs that can be slipped into your drink without you even knowing it.
The drugs can cause you to lose control, and allow a predator to control you.
That's exactly what happened to one rape victim we'll call "Gena."
"As far as what happened that night, I don't know. I know something happened otherwise I would have woke up in my clothes," Gena said.
A night of partying at a local bar turned tragic for Gena. Her drink was spiked with a date-rape drug. Hours later, she woke up naked in a stranger's bed.
"I never thought it would happen to me," she said.
The traumatic event, which lasted just a matter of hours, changed her life forever.
"Ever since then I have nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks," she said.
Sadly, most rape victims experience the same trauma.
"I became interested in date rape about five years ago when a close friend of mine was drugged and raped in a five-star hotel. It really bothered me that downstairs in the bar, he was able to be raped this way," said Francisco Guerra, who developed the Drink Safe coaster.
The concept is simple: place a few drops of your drink on the test circle of the coaster, and in seconds you have the results.
"It will turn blue if there is something in your drink,and if nothing is in your drink it will stay the same color," Guerra said.
Ruth to the Rescue, with help from the Michigan State Police crime lab, conducted our own tests on the Drink Safe coasters to see if they really work.
We found that Drink Safe worked better using clear liquid, such as gin and tonic.
In drinks such as red wine, it was harder to detect the presence of a drug.
Drink safe coasters will soon be available at local 7-Eleven stores.
For more information on the coasters, click here.
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