Pubdate: Wed, 24 Sep 2003
Source: Brandon Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2003, Brandon Sun
Contact:  http://www.brandonsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2437
Author: Curtis Brown
Note: With files from Eliza Barlow and Canadian Press

RAPE DRUGS ARE WEAPONS: STUDENT

In Karly McRae's opinion, raping someone after slipping a drug in their 
drink is equally as criminal as raping someone at knifepoint.

She says drugs can be a weapon too and that the federal government should 
change the Criminal Code to reflect that.

"No one is held accountable," says the Brandon University student.

"Rapes occur with weapons all the time and people are charged. With these 
drugs, nothing happens. People get away with it all the time."

McRae is supporting a drive by Canadian Alliance MP James Moore to have 
so-called date-rape drugs classified as weapons under the Criminal Code of 
Canada.

While they are illegal in Canada, date-rape drugs such as rohypnol 
(commonly known as "roofies"), gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) or ketamine are 
usually smuggled into the country.

Rohypnol is a tranquilizer that can make someone quickly intoxicated if 
mixed with alcohol, while GHB and ketamine are anesthetics that can cause 
people to lose their inhibitions or even hallucinate.

Moore, who held an event at Ottawa's Carleton University yesterday to raise 
the profile of the problem, has introduced a bill in the House of Commons 
that labels the drugs as weapons and establishes national guidelines for 
documenting evidence of sexual assault.

"In recent years, a new kind of violence against women has reared its ugly 
head at parties, on campuses and in nightclubs," says Moore, a British 
Columbia MP.

"Date-rape drugs have become violent weapons used to victimize women. It is 
long overdue for the government to act."

Here in Brandon, members of the Canadian Alliance club at BU have been 
circulating a petition and giving out information for the past two weeks.

So far, they have 300 student signatures. Their petition and others will be 
sent to Ottawa to be included with the private members bill.

"We've got about 300 signatures, which isn't bad when you consider this is 
a school of just over 2,800 students," says Alliance club president Travis 
Smyth.

McRae says people have to realize that date-rape can happen in a small 
place like Brandon just as easily as it can in a large centre.

The last time Brandon police seized a stash of rohypnol was last March, 
when they found $450 worth of the drug in a Brandon home.

Const. Grant McKay of the police department's vice unit says common sense 
is the key in avoiding would-be druggers.

"Buy your own drinks," says McKay. "If you go out to the dance floor, don't 
leave your drinks unattended. If someone's buying you a drink, go with them 
to the bar."

McRae, who is taking names for the petition, finds that everyone seems to 
know someone who has been drugged and taken advantage of.

"It comes up everywhere. It happens in Brandon. I've even had people come 
up and say 'Oh yeah, it happened in my town of 300 people.' There are lots 
of cases out there. People just don't seem to talk about it."

The petition will be going around BU for the rest of the week.
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MAP posted-by: Beth