According to the Center for Women and Families, over 90% of the sexual assault cases that occur on American university campus’ involve alcohol. However many of these cases involve more than just alcohol, especially after the rise of the so called ‘date-rape’ drugs during the 1990’s. After nearly 30 years of causing havoc, DrinkSavvy think they have the solution: A cup which detects all of the major date rape drugs.
Date rape drugs are notoriously hard to detect. They’re typically tasteless and odorless, meaning that unsuspecting victims have no real way of telling if their drink has been tampered with. The affects of the drugs can be totally debilitating, leaving the victim unable to stand or properly communicate. Over the past ten years, these drugs have found their way in to nearly every city in the UK, leading to thousands of cases of sexually assualt.
Unsurprisingly, these drugs are a great cause of concern. University season is about to recommence, and with freshers weeks up and down the country soon to begin, its certain that many unfortunate people will be falling victim to this.
Its easy to paint a quite horrifying scene out of the UK’s nightlife hot spots, but thankfully a simple cup could be the solution to this particular problem.
Funded for $50,000 (£30,000) on Indiegogo, the company are now about to ship their first batch of DrinkSavvy cups and straws.
The design is intended to combat the most well-known drugs, including the likes of GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine. Its simple mechanism will turn the cup red if any of the drugs are found in the liquid, providing an immediate warning to the drinker.
Whilst we have concerns about how visibile this will be in dark environments – such as major clubs – especially as these are the most common problem areas. However the solution seems simple, and providing its reliable, should make a real difference.
The company was founded by Michael Abramson, a former engineering student who has been personally affected by these drugs. Alongside three friends, he has personally suffered at the hands of them, and that was his motivation for DrinkSavvy.
With over one million cases of date-rapes caused by these drugs, surely its time that bars and clubs acted by implementing cups like DrinkSavvy?
