New Date Rape Prevention Straws To Hit Shops

New date rape prevention straws are to hit the commercial market next year in hope to hinder sexual assaults on nights out.

Straws developed by Israeli scientist Michael Loffe and Professor Fernando Patolsky are an attempt to help prevent drink spikes on nights out. Reuseable, the straws can be used again and again, until they change colour when in contact with Ketamine or GHB – the two most common date rape drugs.

The straws are non-functional aside from their drug detecting abilities, and could become commonplace on nights out in the near future. However, some question whether the colour change will be effective enough in a dark, crowded nightclub.

An American business is also working on a similar range of products, including cups which change colour when date rape chemicals are detected. Mike Abramsom, its founder explained:

DrinkSavvy products do not require the end user to test and re-test their drink throughout the night, because the same plastic cup, glass, or stirrer that the user is drinking with is also the indicator itself. This provides continuous monitoring of the beverage because the indicators on our products are constantly in contact with the beverage.

However, DrinkSavvy also advises that “any type of preventative measure is not an excuse to be careless.” Never leave your drink unattended or accept drinks from people you don’t know, and remember your awareness is significantly reduced by alcohol.

Prices for the products have not yet been announced.

Will students remember or be bothered to carry around these products when going to clubs or on a bar crawl? With Freshers Week about to begin, and thousands returning to Southampton, the straws could potentially reduce an all-too-common risk many students face on a night out.