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Drink spiking is more common than most people realize despite it being illegal. There are a variety of health risks that come from drink spiking, which is why it’s essential to be aware of this act and its consequences.
Drink spiking occurs when someone puts alcohol or any other drug into someone else’s drink without their knowledge. This act is a crime.
It’s often done with a desire to inebriate someone and commit sexual assault or robbery. However, drink spiking also occurs as a prank or without further criminal intention.
Examples of drink spiking include:
The most common substance used to spike a drink is alcohol. Often, colorless and odorless alcohol, such as vodka, is chosen.
Drinks can also be spiked with drugs. Drugs commonly used to spike a drink include benzodiazepines (like Rohypnol), GHB, Diphenhydramine, and ketamine. These drugs do little to change the drink’s color, taste, or smell.
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Symptoms of alcohol-spiked drinks include the usual signs of drunkenness. These include:
Drinks spiked with drugs cause drowsiness and might cause blackouts.
Most date rape drugs used for drink spiking, including Rohypnol, can cause memory loss when given in high doses.
Spiking someone’s drink is a crime, with laws varying from state to state and country to country. However, drink spiking is illegal everywhere.
You can be charged with a crime if you spike drinks. The convicted perpetrator can serve jail time and pay a fine that varies based on the location of the crime and a variety of other factors.1
The degree to which someone can be charged depends on the type of substance and where the offense occurred. Adding a legal substance like alcohol without the drinker’s knowledge is a lesser offense than adding a Schedule I or Schedule II substance unless the victim is under 21.
In either case, someone could be charged with Consumption by Fraudulent Means and Second Degree Assault. The perpetrator could also face additional charges if they commit another crime after spiking the drink.
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If you believe a drink has been spiked, you can take action by following these examples:
The venue or bar staff can help someone involved in a suspected incident of drink spiking by:
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Several things can be done to avoid becoming a victim of drink spiking. You can take the following precautionary measures listed below.
Friends and people in your group can help prevent drink spiking. If you must leave your drink, ask someone you trust, like a close friend, to watch your drink.
Remember, an unattended drink means there’s a risk of it being spiked. The only way to know if your drink is unspiked is to always keep it with you to be aware of its contents.
Signs that a drink was spiked include a change in fizz, a change in taste or color, a foggy or cloudy appearance, and/or sinking ice.
Some spiked drinks don’t look, smell, or taste any different. There are test strips that detect certain drugs.
Consuming a spiked drink can trigger any effect, from fuzzy thinking to poor judgment to blackouts. People feel confusion, shame, guilt, and anger even after the immediate effects disappear.
The effects of a spiked drink vary based on the substance used. If a drink is spiked with alcohol, the effects are based on how much alcohol was used.
The duration of a spiked drink’s effects varies. The length of time depends on the substance used. For instance, some people can feel the effects of rohypnol for up to 12 hours.2
Alcohol’s effects has a shorter duration and the disorienting effects tend to wear off after a few hours.3
Factors that affect the duration of the effects include age, weight, other substances in their system, etc.
Drink spiking occurs when someone puts a substance into someone else’s drink without permission. Doing this is a crime, whether or not illegal drugs were used.
Other crimes, including sexual assault, sometimes accompany it. This is why some drink-spiking incidents are linked to date rape drugs.
Anyone who’s been a victim of drink spiking should seek support. Visit the nearest emergency department and follow up with victim support if you were a victim of physical assault or were given a date rape drug.
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