Pubdate: Wed, 15 Nov 2006
Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006, West Partners Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.kelownacapnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294
Author: Jennifer Smith

WOMAN SAYS DRUGGING DRINKS IS RAMPANT

A well respected, Kelowna real estate agent spent last week reeling 
from the effects of a cocktail spiked with methamphetamine as she 
danced in a local nightclub.

The mother of three agreed to an interview with the Capital News 
about the incident, but asked not to be identified by name because of 
the stigma associated with being drugged in a night club.

"It's amazing. I've talked to so many people about this and everybody 
knows someone (whose had something slipped in their drink)," she said.

"I think that more people should know that this is happening out 
there I came to that decision when I started doing my own networking 
and found out just how rampant this is."

On Saturday, Nov. 4, the realtor escorted her 22-year-old exchange 
student on a night of dancing at the Level night club after taking in 
a hockey game.

She does not remember anyone slipping anything into her drink and the 
beverage was within her sights while she danced.

Still, when she left the bar to get a piece of pizza, she passed out 
and was taken to Kelowna General Hospital by ambulance.

Doctors treating her in the emergency department informed her the 
hospital found methamphetamine in her blood stream.

She was given a sedative to help sleep off the effects, she said.

Kelowna RCMP are now investigating and say the use of methamphetamine 
to drug someone; rather than GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) or roofies 
(rohypnol)---two drugs commonly referred to as date rape drugs; marks 
a first for local investigators.

"Methamphetamine is not water soluble, but it could be coming in a 
powder form that somebody could have put in there," said RCMP 
spokeswoman Const. Annie Linteau.

"We hear of GHB all the time, but we've never heard of meth being put 
in a drink."

The incident was only reported to police on Friday, as the victim 
felt her complaint would likely be treated as a nuisance call given 
the number of people she's discovered who share similar experiences 
with being drugged.

"Several people told me, 'Oh, they won't do anything about it 
anyway,'" she said, when asked why she didn't immediately call police.

RCMP do not have statistics on the number of complaints they receive 
about people being drugged via drinks. Linteau said it would be hard 
to track through their current filing system.

KGH emergency physicians could not be reached for comment before 
deadline, however, the victim says emergency room staff told her this 
is an all too common occurrence.

RCMP are cautioning people not to leave drinks unattended and to seek 
medical attention if anything untoward occurs while having a drink.

"Always, always keep contact with your drink. Never leave it 
unattended and don't trust anybody to keep it for you," said Linteau.

Meanwhile, the victim says a public awareness campaign is needed to 
bring more awareness to the issue.

In the week since she was targeted, she said there have been some who 
have criticized her for leaving her drink unattended.

"It's not something people really want to talk about because no one 
knows what's happened to them while they were drugged there's the 
shame that goes along with it," she said.

"I'm not the perpetrator. But I think somehow, socially, the victim 
can be blamed.

"Which is very similar to how rape was treated 20 years ago."
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MAP posted-by: Elaine