Nanaimo’s bar and nightclub owners, RCMP and Crime Stoppers have started a public awareness campaign to help bar patrons protect themselves against falling victim to spiked drinks.
The campaign comes on the heels of several reports to Nanaimo RCMP of drinks being spiked or tampered with in various Nanaimo nightclubs in recent months from people who said after consuming a beverage they immediately felt unwell and had difficulty breathing or became nauseous and light-headed and had to seek medical attention.
“These are common symptoms of drinks that have been spiked with GHB or what is commonly referred to as the club drug or date rape drug,” said reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson. “Many incidents involving GHB do not get reported for a variety of reasons, and we only learn of them through social media posts.”
O’Brien said it’s difficult to follow up social media reports, but when incidents are reported directly to police, investigators can determine what happened and find out who is responsible. Officers are currently investigating several spiked drink files from recent months with one of the most recent incidents reported in late February.
“It does happen periodically in Nanaimo and in various jurisdictions,” he said. “Sometimes what we see is it’s not necessarily a spiked drink, but it’s somebody who’s been drinking to excess and has combined it with recreational drugs.”
The difficulty with determining if a drink was spiked with GHG, O’Brien said, is because the drug flushes out of the body within six to 12 hours and often the memory of the victim, who may have been sexually assaulted, is foggy.
“So there’s an embarrassment factor, also, and by the time they come forward the drug is gone, so they don’t know exactly what’s happened,” he said. “A lot of them are never reported to us, but are reported to health care, friends or social media.”
To help address the problem, Nanaimo RCMP, nightclub owners and Central Vancouver Island Crime Stoppers are out to educate and warn patrons about the dangers of tampered drinks and mixing alcohol with recreational drugs.
Crime Stoppers posters, designed by graphic design students at Vancouver Island University, will be posted this week in washrooms of bars participating in Nanaimo’s Bar Watch program to warn patrons about the issue. To protect beverages, specialized drink covers are being also being considered along with coasters bearing printed educational messages.
“We’re currently getting prices from various alcohol distributors on coasters to see what’s the best deal and how they’re going to look, as well,” O’Brien said. “The bar owners are on board. They’re concerned about their clients. The RCMP wants to address it from an enforcement component to find out who’s responsible for it and also to work the educational component, so that’s why we’re working with Crime Stoppers on this also."
There is concern in the community around the issue, O'Brien said, adding that the RCMP is committed to identifying those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions.
“Nanaimo bar owners are taking the lead on this because our guests' health and safety is critical to us. We are mothers and fathers who welcome guests into our establishments to enjoy themselves responsibly…” said Elaine Nelson-Hosack, owner-operator of Carlos O’Bryans, in a press release. “We work hard to make guests feel comfortable and valued, and their safety is a priority. This campaign will send the message that we are tackling this problem as a community that cares.”
O'Brien said the RCMP needs the support of people in combatting this issue.
“We need people to come forward … If you know something, if you have direct information on who’s doing this or you’ve been victimized, please consider coming forward and speaking with the police," he said.
Anyone who has information about any spiked drink incidents is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
