SAN ANTONIO -- It's a sad reality, but date rape drugs are often slipped into women's drinks at bars. But did you know a shield against those drugs might be right under the glass?
It's a coaster that you can use to quickly test for two common drugs. News 4 is putting those coasters to the test.
For women like Megan Smith, who works on 6th Street in Austin, she's seen the nightlife sometimes bring tragic consequences.
"I know so many girls that have had this happen to them and at really young ages too," Smith said.
Typically, it's younger women who are getting urine and blood tests to see if their drinks have been drugged. But Sarah Toney, who owns Any Lab Test in North Austin, says women in their 30's and 40's are now getting tested as well. Toney said over the holidays, about 60% of the women she tested were indeed drugged.
So, the non-profit group, Just Yell Fire, is telling both men and women to add the anti-date rape coasters to their self-defense arsenal.
This $1 coaster claims it can test your drink for two hidden drugs. Makers of the coasters say you just have to put a drop of your drink on the test pads and the spots will turn a darker blue if your drink has been tainted with GHB or Ketamine.
We went to Expertox, a lab in Houston, to put the coasters to the test and had Dr. Ernest Lykissa, a forensic toxicology expert, test the coasters. Dr. Lykissa put an entire pill on the coaster.
"I was expecting to see a darker (blue) color," said Dr. Lykissa. "You would have a hard time deciphering is this really a drug or is it not."
Based on these results, he thinks the color change isn't dramatic enough.
But the manufacturer of the coasters say any shade of blue is reason for caution.
While this coaster tests for two of the three most common date rape drugs, experts warn the rapist's arsenal is growing.
"A lot of the drugs we see are actually over the counter drugs," said Dr. Lykissa.
Readily available cold remedies and sleep aides are being mixed into drinks more often than the so-called date rape drugs.
"It can actually knock somebody out to a dangerous level needing hospitalization sometimes," said Dr. Lykissa.
If you decide to slip a coaster under your drink, know that it's not foolproof. Your best defense is to never let your drink out of your sight.
