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Anti-Date Rape Straw

By , About.com GuideAugust 18, 2011

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Date rape drugs are any drugs that can render a person unconscious thereby allowing other people to take advantage of them. The two most common drugs used are ketamine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid or GHB. An unusual straw has been invented in Israel by Fernando Patolsky and Michael Ioffe, that can detect those two date rape drugs, and more drugs will soon be added to the straw's detection abilities including rohypnol aka ruffies. The straw works quickly and can be reused until the presence of any date rape drugs are detected. The inventors are currently seeking further investors to develop methods of cheap mass production of the straws.

According to the co-inventor, Fernando Patolsky, a chemistry professor at Tel Aviv University, the straw uses a tiny sample of your drink and mixes it with a testing solution, that causes a chemical reaction making the solution cloudy or colored, depending on the drug.

The sad statistics are that one in six women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime, so hopefully this invention will help keep more women safe. Photo Credit: Elke Van de Velde/Getty Images

Comments
August 7, 2012 at 7:12 am
(1) Kingeroo says:

Its roofies, not ruffies. If it was ruffies it would be ruff like the sound a dog makes. Also, men do get date raped too, you should include that in your article.

August 7, 2012 at 7:17 am
(2) Eric says:

No, its ruffies, derived from Rufilin you jackass.

August 7, 2012 at 7:22 am
(3) James McBride says:

Actually both spellings are acceptable as are “rophy”, “ruffles” and “roachies”, and it’s short for Rohypnol not Rufilin.

August 7, 2012 at 7:24 am
(4) Tim says:

Screw that! I’m not gonna get laid now!

August 7, 2012 at 7:37 am
(5) hahahaha says:

Calling someone a jack-ass with incorrect info, priceless.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=rufilin

August 7, 2012 at 7:52 am
(6) hehehehe says:

Correcting someone while providing a link to urbandictionary.com as proof, priceless.

August 7, 2012 at 7:57 am
(7) Facepalm says:

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August 7, 2012 at 8:10 am
(8) disnig says:

You’re all wrong it’s Flunitrazepam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flunitrazepam

August 7, 2012 at 8:17 am
(9) Eric's Friend says:

Oh, Eric…

August 7, 2012 at 8:19 am
(10) Tyler says:

@eric , you’re the jackass. Its Rohypnol. rufilin is just what they called it in the movie the hangover

August 7, 2012 at 8:53 am
(11) Joseph Stalin says:

It is absolutely impossible that a person imbibes ketamine unknowingly. The taste is overpoweringly metallic and clinical, you couldn’t drink it if you tried. Rohypnol and GHB are not as obvious. (Apparently…)

August 7, 2012 at 9:02 am
(12) Marc says:

like the above poster said, ketamine has a very strong, very noticeable taste. also, it is pretty unlikely that it would be used as a date rape drug. sure, it probably has been used, and so have many other drugs, however GHB and flunitrazepam as well as other benzodiazepines are much more commonly used and more readily available, seeing as they are drugs actually prescribed to humans rather than for veterinary use.

August 7, 2012 at 9:03 am
(13) Brian says:

I think they should just start calling them Groundies

August 7, 2012 at 9:57 am
(14) Peter says:

Roofies? Why do they call them Roofies? You’re more likely to end up on the floor than the roof…

August 7, 2012 at 10:16 am
(15) Peter Parker says:

This is a great idea. As a father, I hope this catches on in America.

August 7, 2012 at 11:35 am
(16) Emily says:

Several drugs can be used as date rape drugs. A lot of people get a hold of prescription sleeping pills, or use something that (in combination with alcohol) produces drowsiness or unconsciousness. The spelling of the drugs’ street name is completely irrelevant. The point of this article is that this invention, if widely distributed, could help to reduce the number of rapes and sexual assaults, and that is all that matters.

August 7, 2012 at 11:44 am
(17) Salil says:

“OMFG, THERE’S A DATE RAPE DRUG IN MY ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE!”

August 7, 2012 at 11:54 am
(18) S Jones says:

So, do people usually drink alcoholic beverages with straws?

August 7, 2012 at 11:56 am
(19) jen says:

They will now

August 7, 2012 at 12:05 pm
(20) Few says:

While it’s true that “one in six women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime”, this huge statistic is misleading. The number of women sexually assaulted using date rape drugs is a far lower percentage. While it’s still terrible, and this straw seems very interesting, this article goes over the top in terms of relative importance of the discovery/development made.

August 7, 2012 at 1:00 pm
(21) Guy says:

Men get raped too.

August 7, 2012 at 1:05 pm
(22) Moe says:

With this there will soon be “safe bars” where they put date rape detecting straws in every drink and there will be unicorns as bouncers and the whole world will be safe because of all the precautions. I want to know what the heck they put in the straw that is chemically reactive that is safe to ingest.

August 7, 2012 at 1:51 pm
(23) Michael D says:

I think this whole concept should be posted on kickstarter.com
Basically you address the community with the product you wish to manufacture. If the idea is properly presented, it usually receives donations (see website) until the creator of the project can mass produce.
This is one of those ideas that is extremely marketable and an amazing idea.
IMHO it should be made necessary for bars to keep stock of these straws for any cocktail/ mix drink,

August 7, 2012 at 10:10 pm
(24) Silahkan download sob says:

Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article. Thank you for providing this info.

August 7, 2012 at 10:36 pm
(25) Mark Black says:

Reminds me of thet joke…
What chat up line is guaranteed to get you laid every time….?
“Does this hanker-chief smell of chloroform?”

August 7, 2012 at 10:59 pm
(26) Jack says:

why do they call em roofies?
you usually end up on the floor.
shouldnt they be called floories?

August 7, 2012 at 11:03 pm
(27) Lets all make rape jokes lol wow look at me I'm soooo hardcore says:

Go back to drinking Sunny D in your moms’ basements, Mark and Tim

August 8, 2012 at 11:17 am
(28) total says:

I loled at that last one

August 8, 2012 at 3:42 pm
(29) Tracey Miles says:

This straw could save a life. I almost died in my 20s from a date rape drug slipped in my drink (I’m allergic to all similar drugs and my heart stopped). The only thing that saved me was fate, as a nurse just happen to be there to revive me in the club’s bathroom and keep me alive until the ambulance got there. This straw would have saved me from that awful experience. Spread the word and, once they’re on the market, buy them for your daughters!

August 8, 2012 at 6:03 pm
(30) Mike says:

This is certainly a good start but taking the time to constantly test and re-test one’s drink is cumbersome and socially awkward. My company, DrinkSavvy, is developing normal functioning cups, straws, stirrers, and glasses, except that the cups, straws, stirrers, and glasses themselves will actually change color to warn the user. Our products will provide effortless and constant self-monitoring of your drinks all night. Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/SavvyTechnology and follow us on twitter (@drinksavvyinc).

August 8, 2012 at 11:12 pm
(31) RolloverRiderPGR says:

It doesn’t matter if it is “cumbersome and socially awkward” IF the straw is supplied to the customer by the bar and all they do is like everyone does with a straw in their drink is stir the drink the ONLY one to feel awkward is the asswipe that drugged her drink!

IF she buys them in a pack and has 1 with her all she does as explained in the article is use it until it detects a drug then it could be good for a while as the chemicals are probably on the straw and once activated it’s more than time to head home before some idiot tries again! It did not say how long it could be used but if it says until activated, heck they might go broke if not many ever detect the drugs! It’s better to be safe than raped and wind up with an STD or worse a child you were not planning on and no dad or idiot to pay that child support!

So Mike how does yours work? Do they have to throw the glass away when it detects the drug? Pretty expensive and doomed to fail because of that cost. The straw is a much cheaper way and seems to be just as effective as your idea.

BUT both when produces will throw those sissy wanna be men off their track and slow if not stop date rapes IF women will use them!

August 9, 2012 at 6:31 am
(32) Kerry says:

Flunitrazepam/Rohypnol are the same benzodiazapine. Rohypnol is a trade name. Rufilin was the name used in The Hangover to avoid use of actual products.

August 9, 2012 at 12:04 pm
(33) Cat says:

I am a cat and I swear that I can type in English for 60 seconds after a bong hit. I know the solution to making these straws so cheap that every straw in the world can contain the .. meow.. me… meow… meow, meow, meow, meow, meow.

August 9, 2012 at 5:19 pm
(34) Marcy says:

You need to get on kickstarter.com to get funded fast! I wish this had been available when I was in college!

August 10, 2012 at 10:05 pm
(35) Sarah says:

The cups are a great idea that way if a drug is placed in a drink at any point during the evening or whatever the person will notice. Straws are good but usually a person stirs the drink and is done with the straw.

August 13, 2012 at 7:47 pm
(36) Mike says:

Hi RolloverRiderPGR,

Thank you for your question, which is a good one. To answer your question and clarify, the DrinkSavvy glass would have to be thrown away once it has changed color, however, the cost effective implementation is to use our technology with plastic cups, straws and stirrers precisely for that reason you noted.

Using the straw example, the main difference between DrinkSavvy straws and their straws is this:

DrinkSavvy straws are functional straws made from a material that allows one to drink from it and keep it in the drink for constant monitoring of the drinks, so that a color change is automatic and immediate when a drug is detected. That is, the user does not have to do anything to know their drink is safe.

By contrast, their “straw” is only disguised as a straw (non-functional), and actually requires the user to take action by sampling a very small volume of the drink and mixing it with a testing solution in the straw. That causes a chemical reaction in the straw that makes the solution cloudy or colored, depending on the drug. (see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2026443/Scientists-develop-straw-detects-date-rape-drugs.html)

This is what makes their “straw” cumbersome and socially awkward. I hope this answers your question.

August 27, 2012 at 11:03 am
(37) WhatWuzIThinkin says:

Wont work if the person drinking the drink is already half blown away from drinking!

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Superb post but I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this
subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Kudos!

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November 27, 2012 at 5:26 pm
(43) SamuelBlantz says:

Really people? Wow. the comment here have been more hilarious than on youtube, common jagoffs stop arguing over what the proper terms and shit of a drug is, the important thing is that this straw will be a hit on the market.

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February 21, 2013 at 2:00 am
(51) Mike says:

Sounds like a really good idea, but what if someone decides to replace to straw with a similar looking one and then slips in a drug?

February 21, 2013 at 3:06 am
(52) It has two spellings says:

It has two spellings idiot.

February 21, 2013 at 3:36 am
(53) Just sayin. says:

Leaves drink unnatended.

Person slips said drug in drink.

Takes straw thats mass produced and everywhere out of drink.

Replaces straw with different one….. ………………

February 21, 2013 at 5:09 am
(54) It's a trap says:

The straw is actually laced with roofies.

February 21, 2013 at 8:46 am
(55) Bandza says:

of course she won’t mention men getting date raped, female chauvinistic writers

February 21, 2013 at 8:59 am
(56) That one black comedian says:

Roofies?

They oughtta call ‘em floories.

February 21, 2013 at 10:14 am
(57) Your Dumb says:

Your obviously incompetent.. ketamine is not a date rape drug

February 21, 2013 at 11:47 am
(58) Alden says:

How about Roofies from Rophenol?

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February 27, 2013 at 4:36 pm
(60) college kid says:

I’m from a college town and hear of date rape drugs being used all too often. From what I have witnessed though (It has happened to several of my friends, even one male from a rival school) is that around here it is less likely to be given to you by someone you are with or another customer of the bar but by the people that work at the bar. Usually bartenders or even bouncers. Its almost as if there is some unspoken code among bars to do this to attract more customers and commit their own atrocities I even had a friend who caught a bouncer dragging his unconscious girlfriend to his car. I think this idea is great and whether or not it really works I’m sure just the idea of it will help as a deterrent especially if the straw in some way promotes that it detects these drugs ( such as a small label or something just so that it can be recognized). I wouldn’t personally like the idea of the bars carrying them ,not saying that all bars do this I just think it would be better to personally know where the straw came from, brand and what all drugs it detects. Hopefully one day their sold at every convenience store. My advice is to pregame hard and order bottled beer where you can watch them pop it open in front of you.

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