Some ASU physicians fear that giving students a device which reportedly identifies some date rape drugs could create a false sense of security.
Drink Safe Technologies, a year-old company based in Plantation, Fla., has developed drink coasters that they claim can detect the presence of date rape drugs such as GHB, Ketamine (Special K) or Rohypnol (roofies).
The coasters, voted one of the best inventions in 2002 by Time magazine, are chemically designed to turn dark blue 30 seconds after a drug-tainted drink is spilled on them.
But the claims are misleading, said Dr. David Bower, an ASU health educator at the Student Health and Wellness Center.
"I think they're dangerous and ineffective," Bower said. "There are more than three date rape drugs; there are actually 36 drugs that fall under that classification. We're not looking to bring [the coasters] here because research shows they're ineffective, and that creates a false sense of security."
According to a report by USA Today, the use of date rape drug GHB has risen considerably in the past few years. The report indicates emergency room admissions involving GHB nearly quadrupled nationwide from 1998 to 2000.
When the coasters were tested by the Michigan State Police Crime Lab, they failed to clearly recognize GHB.
"They did show the roofies and Ketamine," Bower said, "but not until two hours later."
Dr. Martin Boxer, a physician at ASU Student Health, agrees with Bower's assessment of the coasters but said the real problem is the alcohol.
"You never know with any kind of diagnostic strip like that. If it was accurate, that would be good. If it was reliable, that would be great," he said. "I don't think tampering with the drinks is the problem. In my experience, sex under the influence alone is bad."
The coasters work like the "litmus test" commonly used in high school chemistry classes, where a chemically engineered strip of paper changes color in reaction to certain chemicals, Drink Safe Vice President Mike Giles said.
According to the Drink Safe web site, the coaster's developer, Francisco Guerra, was motivated to create the drug tester after a female friend of his was drugged at a party and raped. Guerra worked with Dr. Brian Glover to develop the technology.
The coasters, which are yet to be patented, are now being distributed on some college campuses and sold in some stores.
"The University of Michigan and stores in Texas and New York supply the coasters," Giles said. "Soon we hope to have it in convenience stores."
Because Drink Safe sells the coasters in bulk, in quantities of 100, they are typically sold to organizations and businesses, though Giles said parents have ordered them as well.
"We get calls from moms and dads ordering coasters for their daughters," he said. "We get calls like that all the time, people ordering coasters for family members."
Bower said that while some of the tests showed the coasters to be effective, he felt that it would be too dangerous to offer them to students in case they didn't work in a situation when a drug had been placed in the drink.
Giles said that even with the coasters, everyone should be cautious in an age when date rape occurs as often as it does.
"Ours is just a tool, just one more safety precaution to take," Giles said. "[The coasters] have brought a tremendous amount of awareness on college campuses and abroad."
Reach the reporter at nicole.girard@asu.edu.
