Since the spread of date rape drugs, women have been forced to be on high alert when drinking in public. Now, a few inventions aim to make it easier to protect against those drugs.
A professor at Tel Aviv University, Fernando Patolsky, and his partner Michael Ioffe have invented the Anti-Date Rape Straw that changes colour when it detects often odourless and tasteless date rape drugs, such as GHB or ketamine.
The idea is that women would carry this straw with them when they go out. A chemical reaction with the drugs triggers the colour to change in this reusable straw. There’s no word yet on when and where the straw will be sold, but the Green Prophet reports that the inventors hope to go commercial with the product this year.
Similarly, DrinkSavvy has developed a line of products including plastic party cups, glass, straws, stirrers, and bottles that all change colour when GHB, ketamine, or rohypnol come into contact. Founder and patent attorney Mike Abramson worked with chemistry professor Dr. John MacDonald at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute to develop the material that changes colour.
After coming off a recent Indiegogo campaign, DrinkSavvy plans to release their products later this year.
There are straws and cups. Why not coasters? Just Yell Fire has created $1 coasters that test the liquid in a drink. A simple drop on the coaster can detect whether or not a drink has been tainted by a change of colour.
Because predator drugs can come in all shapes and forms, doctors warn that the best defense is to never leave a drink out of sight.