Is there finally a weapon against the dangerous drug?
Knockout drops in the drink make women will-less
Knockout drops have permanently changed the way people party. Gone are the days of carefree going to the party or club, dancing, drinking and having a good time with friends. Today, knockout drops are an ever-lurking danger that more and more people are falling victim to.
What are knockout drops and why are they so dangerous?
The drug is largely “liquid ecstasy,” a liquid that can be easily homemade or ordered on the Internet. Liquid Ecstacy is a clear, odorless, tasteless liquid that you don’t notice until the effects have already begun. Outsiders can rarely provide help because they don’t even realize that sufferers are under the influence of knockout drops. They give the impression of being heavily intoxicated. The after-effects of the drug are limited memory loss (film break) and headaches. After just a few hours, the residues are broken down and are no longer detectable. Most cases involve young women who are given the drug unnoticed in order to sexually abuse them.
Even men are not safe from knockout drops. With them, they are often used to rob them. The WHO classifies K.O. drops as the most dangerous drug at present. In Germany alone, there are said to be 800,000 cases annually. However, the number of unreported cases is probably much higher, because many victims do not report it out of shame.
What are the remedies for knockout drops?
Until now, there has been only one good piece of advice against the drug: when consuming food or drink in places open to the public, never leave it unattended. Unfortunately, the advice often proved to be in vain, because even a single second is enough to administer the drops unnoticed.
Now the situation will hopefully change because a student from Karlsruhe has developed a method with which K.O. drops can be reliably detected by laymen.
What kind of method is that?
It is a test strip that is worn on the wrist in the manner of a party bracelet. There are two circular spots on the white wristband for testing. If a liquid containing knockout drops is applied to these areas, it will turn blue within two minutes. The bracelet is already available under the name Xantus in the online shop of the drugstore chain DM. There, the “Drinkcheck” (as it is called at DM) can be ordered as a double pack for just over 5 euros or as a four-pack for just under 10 euros. If demand grows, DM plans to incorporate Xantus into its store assortment as well.
Will the test bracelet solve the problem with the knockouts? drops?
That remains to be seen. So far, there have been rather mixed reactions. Many who like to go to parties are excited and welcome the invention. Organizers, on the other hand, tend to have a negative attitude. They fear for the reputation of their restaurants or clubs and justify this by saying that people who wear such test bracelets imply that there is a danger of being administered knockout drops in the establishment in question. One possible solution would be to wear the bracelet concealed and only use it if knockout drops are suspected.
The surest protection against knockout drops is still to go out in a group and look out for each other. However, for those who go out alone, the Xantus test bracelet against knockout drops could well be a sensible precaution.
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