Roofie-Proof : Drug Detecting Straws

“We don’t remember anything from last night, remember?”

Who can forget the classic comedy, the Hangover? The summer blockbuster is easily one of the funniest movies ever. In the film, friends get together for a bachelor party, Vegas style. The scene pictured above is the start of it all, when the group, unknowingly, ingest the date rape drug Rohypnol or “roofies”, as they are more commonly known.

Many people like to party, enjoy drinks with friends and frequent nightclubs and bars. But not many are aware of the dangers of not knowing what’s in those drinks. Across the US, there have been widespread reports of date rape, where drugs slipped into drinks cause victims to be vulnerable to sexual abuse.

Now, thanks to a brilliant innovation from a research team from Tel Aviv University, drinks can easily be tested for the presence of date rape drugs. This drug-detecting device, which can be made to resemble a straw or cocktail stirrer, was designed by a team led by Michael Ioffe and Fernando Patolsky. The test is simple – just dip the detecting straw into the drink. If the straw lights up, then the drink is definitely spiked with the drug.

According to results of laboratory trials, this device has proven to be 100% accurate in detecting the presence of drugs like GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) and ketamine. Eventually, they will test for its accuracy against the potent date rape drug flunitrazepam, also known as Rohypnol aka roofies.

The research team hopes that this detector can reduce the incidence of date rape, and ultimately prevent it from happening again. Sources also project that the drug-detecting straw will be commercially available within the next 18 months.

Via …