Signal Boost: The Elephant in the Equine Room

The Elephant in the Equine Room. So this is something that happened, and something a lot of us who knew of it, even if we weren't involved, should have done soon after. Was there a reason not to?

For my part, it wasn't fear. It wasn't even lack of knowledge—I knew enough. Obviously there's nothing I could have done to prevent any of it when I wasn't even there, but there's a lot to be said about remaining silent in the grand scheme of things. I discussed it with others that were there and also found out about it... but that was it. I shed my responsibility of making others aware of things like this. I'm glad Horizon spoke up, because, I'm ashamed to admit, my shedding worked out very well and I did not consider this again for a long time. It's easy to see, convince yourself you can't do anything and then forget.

That is also unacceptable, and I for one will take his example to heart.

Comments

[Wild Zontars]

OK, leaving aside what did or didn't happen at this particular event, the level of concern over spiked drinks is rapidly approaching a moral panic.

I can't link the papers themselves (because copyright), but here are the abstracts for three studies on the actual frequency of drink spiking. TL;DR: Drinks do get spiked sometimes, but it is very, very rare, even among people who think their drink has been spiked. Most people who claimed to have had their drinks "spiked" either simply drank too much or drank stronger alcohol than they intended to. Of the rest, most had taken other recreational drugs which interacted with their drinks.

Embodying Uncertainty?: Understanding Heightened Risk Perception of Drink ‘Spiking’

There is a stark contrast between heightened perceptions of risk associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) and a lack of evidence that this is a widespread threat. Through surveys and interviews with university students in the United Kingdom and United States, we explore knowledge and beliefs about drink-spiking and the linked threat of sexual assault. University students in both locations are not only widely sensitized to the issue, but substantial segments claim first- or second-hand experience of particular incidents. We explore students’ understanding of the DFSA threat in relationship to their attitudes concerning alcohol, binge-drinking, and responsibility for personal safety. We suggest that the drink-spiking narrative has a functional appeal in relation to the contemporary experience of young women's public drinking.

Toxicological findings in cases of alleged drug-facilitated sexual assault in the United Kingdom over a 3-year period

This paper outlines the toxicology results from 1014 cases of claimed drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) analysed at the Forensic Science Service, London Laboratory between January 2000 and December 2002. Where appropriate, either a whole blood sample and/or a urine sample was analysed for alcohol, common drugs of abuse and potentially stupefying drugs. The results were interpreted with respect to the number of drugs detected and an attempt was made to distinguish between voluntary and involuntary ingestion from information supplied.

Alcohol (either alone or with an illicit and/or medicinal drug) was detected in 470 of all cases (46%). Illicit drugs were detected in 344 cases (34%), with cannabis being the most commonly detected (26% of cases), followed by cocaine (11%).

In 21 cases (2%), a sedative or disinhibiting drug was detected which had not been admitted and could therefore be an instance of deliberate spiking. This included three cases in which complainants were allegedly given Ecstasy (MDMA) without their knowledge. Other drugs detected included gammahydroxybutyrate (GHB) and the benzodiazepine drugs diazepam and temazepam. Another nine cases (1%) involved the complainant being either given or forced to ingest pharmaceutical tablets or an illicit drug.

Prospective study of 101 patients with suspected drink spiking

Objective: To evaluate cases of suspected drink spiking presenting to the ED by the prospective collection of standardized relevant historical, clinical and laboratory data.

Methods: A prospective observational study of 101 patients presenting to metropolitan hospital ED with suspected drink spiking within the previous 12 h. Clinical history, including details surrounding the alleged drink spiking incident, and examination. Blood ethanol concentration measurement, together with the analysis of urine and blood samples for illicit and sedative drugs.

Results: Of the 97 alleged drink spiking cases included, there were only 9 plausible cases. We did not identify a single case where a sedative drug was likely to have been illegally placed in a drink in a pub or nightclub. Illicit drugs were detected in 28% of the study group. Ethanol was commonly detected, with the mean number of standard drinks consumed being 7.7 ± 3.9 SD, and the median blood ethanol concentration at the time of presentation was 0.096% (96 mg/dL). At follow-up there were no major sequelae and no police prosecutions. Thirty five per cent of patients still believed that they had been a victim of drink spiking irrespective of the results.

Conclusion: Our study did not reflect the current public perception of drink spiking. Drink spiking with sedative or illicit drugs appears to be rare. If drink spiking does occur, ethanol appears to be the most common agent used. Of greater concern was the frequency of illicit drug use and excessive ethanol consumption within the study population, making it difficult to determine whether a person had truly had a drink spiked.

Please don't start seeing rapists lurking in the corner of every party.