The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is offering free drink spiking testing kits to all patients attending their Emergency or Sexual Health Departments - BBC. The testing kits can detect a range of substances commonly associated with drink spiking, including ketamine, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), cocaine and amphetamine.
The testing strips will change colour when dipped in the drink if other substances are present. Drink spiking can happen to men and women, and can incapacitate the person so that they are vulnerable to robbery or rape. However many cases of suspected drink spiking, thought to be around half, do not involve any drugs other than alcohol.
The strips are being supplied to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital by a cosmetic company working in partnership with the Roofie Foundation who aim to raise awareness amongst professionals and public about the dangers of drink spiking. The Roofie Foundation advise individuals to take practical steps to protect themselves from spiking by never leaving drinks unattended, staying with friends and never going off with strangers. One company offers 'Spikeys' to prevent bottled drinks being spiked.
If a person who suspects their drink has been tampered with vomits, feels drowsy or starts hallucinating then they should alert a trusted friend or member of staff immediately. They may then be advised to visit A&E, taking the suspect drink with them for analysis. See NHS Choices pages on Drink Spiking. Drink spiking is a criminal offence, and holds a maximum of a ten year prison sentence
Drugs used in drink spiking can pass through the system fairly quickly, in 12-48 hours, so anyone who thinks that they may be the victim of drink spiking should report it to the Police as soon as possible. There are indications of serious under-reporting of drink spiking, often due to memory loss and the person feeling unsure or embarrassed that spiking may have taken place. A 2009 Daily Mail article explored to what extent drink spiking was a myth.
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