Canada - Vancouver bars to dump unattended drinks warning of predatory men.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...unattended-drinks-after-vpd-warning-1.4156592

Vancouver bars to dump unattended drinks after VPD warning

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A bar safety association in Vancouver says it's exercising extra caution after the Vancouver Police Department warned members of two predatory men on the Granville strip.

Former Vancouver police officer Curtis Robinson is the co-chair of BarWatch Vancouver — a network of 35 bars, nightclubs and restaurants in the city that promotes bar safety.
He says while he can't divulge specific information about the warning, bars will take necessary precautions

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Furthermore, he says staff have been trained to watch for indicators of predatory behaviour.

"For example, if a female patron becomes unexpectedly, seriously intoxicated without having consumed a lot of alcohol and is being led away by a male, the staff have been trained to intervene and call the police," he said.

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http://www.news1130.com/2017/06/11/bars-crack-unattended-drinks-prevent-date-rape/

He says local pub owners were recently tipped off about two men exploiting women at bars along the Granville corridor, so efforts are being stepped up to stop predatory male behaviour against women in bars.

“I can’t use names but I received a heads-up that two people had come to the attention of Vancouver Police Department, and that in fact in previous times they had targeted women that frequented the Granville strip inside licensed premises.”

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Thanks for starting this thread, dotr. I was amazed to hear in another thread just how many members here have been roofied themselves. I've been roofied at least twice, maybe 3 times. I never ever ever leave a drink unattended at the bar. Hopefully they will catch these *******s, and this recent news will help bring awareness to a problem that occurs everywhere.

http://www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/learn/resources/feminist-guide-rape-drugs

WHAT ARE DATE RAPE DRUGS?

• Date rape drugs are any drug used by a rapist to facilitate rape. The media invented the term "date rape". Hype focuses on GHB, Rohypnol and ketamine.
• Rohypnol is a sleeping pill. It emerged in 1993 and quickly became associated with night clubs, parties, and raves. It's cheap, plentiful, highly addictive, and widely utilized by heroin and cocaine users as a secondary drug.
• Recent reformulation of Rohypnol makes it salty & it doesn't dissolve completely. Older versions of the drug are still circulating, which are odorless, colorless and tasteless.
• Used in combination with other drugs & alcohol they are debilitating. Many women report amnesia as a primary effect. These drugs metabolize quickly and are often not traceable after only 24hours.

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http://www.healthline.com/health/date-rape-drugs#overview1
June 8, 2017 — by Jacquelyn Cafasso

[h=2]What is a date rape drug?[/h] Date rape drugs are used to make a person more vulnerable to sexual assault and easier to attack. Sometimes, one or more drugs are used to distract a person so they become unaware of what’s going on and unable to protect themselves. These drugs are often secretly slipped into someone’s drink.
The most well-known date rape drugs include the following:

• Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) is prescribed to people with sleep and anxiety disorders in other countries, but it’s not approved for medical use in the United States. It’s commonly called roofies or R-2.
• GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyric acid, is sometimes prescribed to treat narcolepsy. It’s also called cherry meth, liquid E, or scoop.
• Ketamine is used during surgical procedures. It may be called vitamin K, cat valium, Kit Kat, or special K.

Less commonly used date rape drugs include:

• ecstasy, also called Molly, X, and E
• LSD, commonly called acid
• clonazepam (Klonopin)
• alprazolam (Xanax)

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[h=2]How can you protect yourself from date rape drugs?[/h] Protecting yourself doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the party, you just have to exercise a few precautions when it comes to what you drink:

• don’t take drinks from other people
• open containers yourself
• watch your drink being poured or mixed at a bar and carry it yourself
• if you need to go to the bathroom, take your drink with you; if you can’t, leave it with a trusted friend
• don’t drink anything that tastes or smells odd
• if you’ve left your drink unattended, pour it out
• if you feel very drunk after you only had a small amount of alcohol, or none at all, seek help right away

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as have I at least twice

margarita25 said:

Thanks for starting this thread, dotr. I was amazed to hear in another thread just how many members here have been roofied themselves. I've been roofied at least twice, maybe 3 times. I never ever ever leave a drink unattended at the bar. Hopefully they will catch these *******s, and this recent news will help bring awareness to a problem that occurs everywhere.

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Once...and I was at a house party. Thank God my two besties were with me and took care of me. One of them screamed at the party host the next day and he apologized all over--- we think (still to the day thirty years ago) the guy who spiked my drink was a friend of a friend. But a good warning to all and to not accept -- that drink that magically appears "from the guy or girl across the bar". I had that happen as well when I was waiting to meet Mr. HC when we were dating.

From one end of Canada to another, the same problem, imo.
June 14 2018
‘I HAVE A FEELING IT’S HAPPENING A LOT’: Halifax ER doc thinks women being roofied at bars a regular occurrence but cops not keeping track
'I HAVE A FEELING IT'S HAPPENING A LOT': Halifax ER doc thinks women being roofied at bars a regular occurrence but cops not keeping track
“It worries me very much,” said Dr. Sam Campbell, the chief of emergency at the QEII Health Sciences Centre Halifax Infirmary. “I have the feeling it’s happening a lot, because many women say they hesitate to come to the hospital at all and even fewer would want to report it to police.”

Here’s how to protect yourself from getting roofied
DO stay at the bar
If Mr. Oh-So-Right offers to buy you a drink and he’s hard to resist, stay at the bar as the drink is ordered and served. Keep your eyes on the bartender as it’s being made and drink it there. Or if you’re away from the bar, request that a server brings the drink directly to your table.

DON’T accept any drinks from strangers
It might not seem like the gamest of games, but a little paranoia goes a long way. Go with them, keep your eye on the glass and on the bartender as it’s being poured. Then take it directly from the barkeep, go back to your pals and do your thing. It might not be super-social but it’s better than what could happen.

DO hold your drink on the top
By covering your cup with your palm, not even the slickest of pros can slip a drug in there. That way even if your attention is diverted, you and your cup are protected.

DON’T sip from someone else’s cup
You never know what’s in their drink and everyone reacts differently to drugs. Just because they can handle it doesn’t necessarily mean you can. Plus, it spreads germs. Gross.

DO keep an eye open for any tampering
If it seems like your drink isn’t where you left it, there’s a different-coloured straw, there’s more or less liquid than you recall, it has a different colour or smell or it’s bubbling or fizzing, you’ve got trouble on your hands. Dump it and grab a new one.

DON’T guzzle your drink
OK, this one might be a tad tougher because after a long, hard day, sometimes you need it. But by sipping slowly — versus taking shots or chugging back pints — it gives you more time to become aware of your symptoms if someone has messed with your drink.

DO trust your tastebuds
If your drink smells or looks strange, do not consume it. If you have had a sip and it tastes bitter or salty or just not like your drink at all, don’t panic. Simply stop drinking immediately, and tell the trusty people you are with what may have happened and to watch out for any symptoms where you’re not yourself in case whatever was in your cup hits you hard. Drowsiness, slurred speech, nausea, shallow breathing, cool and clammy or hot and flushed skin, tremors, quickened pulse, just to name a few.

DON’T always trust someone to keep an eye on your drink
Sometimes our friends get distracted (usually by a hot dude busting a solid move) so if she herself placed your drink down and wasn’t paying the strictest of attention to it, go get yourself another. But don’t get your friend one. The traitor.

DO avoid drinks from open containers
If you’re at a party, opt for your own can or bottle and avoid the punch bowl or pitcher. You never know if someone has spiked it and with what.

DON’T lose track of your drink
Never, ever, ever leave your drink unattended. If you need to dance your face off or head to the ladies’, polish it off or give it to a friend to guard with her life. And if for some reason you have to set it down, go treat yourself to a new cocktail. It’s a small price to pay.

Opinion | The guy trying to take the drunk woman home from a Hamilton bar wasn’t her boyfriend
July 23 2018
The guy trying to take the drunk woman home from a Hamilton bar wasn’t her boyfriend
Something didn’t feel right about this situation so I intervened, writes Sydney Gardner
"I don't remember the exact moment I knew something was wrong with the couple I was looking at.

I was standing with my cousin and his friend outside of the local Hamilton bar we had gone to on Wednesday night when we saw them. The woman looked almost like she was falling asleep — or at least about to. Her arms were wrapped around what appeared to be her boyfriend's neck, and he was holding her up.

We all did a quick back and forth about whether we should ask if they needed help. When we did approach them, the guy indicated that she was his girlfriend, and he was taking her home — "Uber," he motioned to me with his phone.

I remember thinking that I should've felt some sense of relief that this woman, who looked to be about my age, in her early 20s, was going to be home soon and able to sleep it off. But it didn't feel right.

One by one, without fail, the men would turn to me and let me know they were going to “take it from here.”

Instead, I turned back to the guy and told him I needed to hear this from the woman herself. Annoyed, he told me to leave his girlfriend alone.

I ignored him and tapped her face a little to wake her up. She was whispering quietly to herself, so I put my face beside hers.

"I don't know him," she shook her head at me. "I don't know him."

dotr said:

Opinion | The guy trying to take the drunk woman home from a Hamilton bar wasn’t her boyfriend
July 23 2018
The guy trying to take the drunk woman home from a Hamilton bar wasn’t her boyfriend
Something didn’t feel right about this situation so I intervened, writes Sydney Gardner
"I don't remember the exact moment I knew something was wrong with the couple I was looking at.

I was standing with my cousin and his friend outside of the local Hamilton bar we had gone to on Wednesday night when we saw them. The woman looked almost like she was falling asleep — or at least about to. Her arms were wrapped around what appeared to be her boyfriend's neck, and he was holding her up.

We all did a quick back and forth about whether we should ask if they needed help. When we did approach them, the guy indicated that she was his girlfriend, and he was taking her home — "Uber," he motioned to me with his phone.

I remember thinking that I should've felt some sense of relief that this woman, who looked to be about my age, in her early 20s, was going to be home soon and able to sleep it off. But it didn't feel right.

One by one, without fail, the men would turn to me and let me know they were going to “take it from here.”

Instead, I turned back to the guy and told him I needed to hear this from the woman herself. Annoyed, he told me to leave his girlfriend alone.

I ignored him and tapped her face a little to wake her up. She was whispering quietly to herself, so I put my face beside hers.

"I don't know him," she shook her head at me. "I don't know him."

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Terrifying. Instant chills.
I was given a drugged drink at a bar before, straight from the bartender while my fiance was in the restroom. I took one sip and said it didn't taste right to me. My fiance finished the drink (he had had the same drink about an hour or two prior) and we eventually left to grab some food and head home. While waiting for our food he passed out cold; he got sick all over himself and has no memory of the night beginning shortly after finishing my drink. It's scary common.

Feb 26 2020
Fraternities at UBC permanently ban open social events following drugging allegations
''VANCOUVER—The UBC InterFraternity Council has permanently banned open social events at the University of British Columbia because it said it could not ensure safe conditions.

The council, which represents fraternity organizations at UBC, had previously suspended all social events while RCMP investigations were pending into drugging allegations at fraternity parties.

A UBC economics instructor, Marina Adshade, had alleged in a tweet on October 1, 2019 that a student of hers “spent the weekend at the hospital with six other women who had allegedly been drugged in fraternities at UBC.”

''Dr. Marina Adshade @MarinaAdshade
· Oct 1, 2019
One of my students spent the weekend in the hospital after being drugged in a Vancouver bar on Friday night. On Saturday morning there were six (6!!) women with her who had been drugged in the fraternities on UBC campus.

And people ask me why I am opposed to the frat houses?

One final word on this topic. Our students have complicated and sometimes difficult lives. We have a collective responsibility to do what we can to keep them safe and protected. Even if that means upsetting people who would rather we were silent.''

Meanwhile, in Ontario..
Ws thread..
Canada- Arrests made after 4 Western students reported sexual violence, London, Ont. Sept. 2021