Stories of women being spiked by injection on nights out have been making the rounds on social media in recent weeks.
On October 14, 19-year-old Zara Owen took to Twitter to claim that had been spiked via injection during a night out in Nottingham.
She said that she had woken up in "agony" after "blacking out" - despite having drunk less than usual. The post was accompanied by a photo of a pin-prick on her leg.
Earlier this week, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) revealed that hundreds of cases of injection and drink spiking have been reported to authorities, per The Guardian. They received 24 reports of some form of injection via spiking this month, and 140 confirmed reports of drink spiking, last month.
The coverage this, and such stories have received has prompted the Home Secretary to ask for an urgent update on the scale of the issue — which is unknown, but is believed to be much less widespread than that of drink spiking.
In order to understand more, VT spoke to a forensic toxicologist, Dr. John Douse, about the disturbing reports — and how we can protect ourselves from drink spiking writ large.
Dr. Douse says that it's highly unlikely that the individuals in question are being spiked via syringe.
"The victims are experiencing either a pinprick or a scratch, and many of them don't notice it at the time. If you had been injected with a syringe, you would know what's going on," he explains. "This is why I think they use a needle, which can jab or scratch the surface of the skin, without the victim realizing."
As to the drugs in question, Dr. Douse was understandably hesitant to speak about specifics in fear of copycat attacks. He did, however, divulge that the drug would likely be one that's active in millionths of a gram, as the dose is administered in such small quantities. It is still liable to cause people to become completely intoxicated and even collapse.
Spiking in this manner, however, is incredibly rare despite the uptick of reports. Last week police confirmed that three women who feared they were spiked with a needle were not drugged. Toxicology tests showed that they had nothing in their systems to suggest that their drink had been spiked or that they had been "drugged in another manner", per The Times.
While it's only natural to remain cautious, it's apparent that drink spiking is more widespread — and this is where young men and women should focus their energies when partying.
Dr. Douse says that it's critical to ensure that you have a group of friends who are capable of looking out for you on a night out. If you suspect you have been spiked, your friends should then dial 999. If they are delayed, he says, the next step is to inform the bar and security staff, who will normally escort you to a separate room.
A common misconception is that drinking water can help spiking victims — but the toxicologist explains that this will not help. "When you're spiked, it goes into your blood and is then absorbed into the brain. The only thing that can counteract it, at that point, is a drug like Naloxone — which is a medication used to block the effects of opioids."
Unfortunately, it is difficult to prove drink spiking as the drugs normally pass through your system within 12 - 72 hours. This is why it's so important that blood or urine samples are taken as soon as possible.
Though, as Dr. Douse points out, oftentimes Accident and Emergency aren't too concerned about what happened, their job is to make sure that the individual is fine. As such, blood and urine samples are normally only taken when the police get involved, but that usually isn't until much later, when most traces have gone.
It is unsurprising then that the conviction rate when it comes to spiking remains so low. Data from Avon and Somerset law enforcement shows that they have recorded 486 drink-spiking incidents since 2016 — this has led to 27 arrests, but no successful prosecutions.
So, how can individuals better protect themselves in this manner? If you are able, Dr. Douse recommends asking for a blood or urine sample to be taken as soon as possible.
If there is no law enforcement present, he says that you can collect your own urine. While this may not be strict forensic procedure, two of the most important things needed to seal a conviction are as much urine or blood as possible, and as quickly as possible.
Of course, following the recent murders of Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, and Bibaa Henry, and Nicole Smallman — women across the UK are rightly outraged over another purported threat to their public safety.
Nightclub boycotts have been planned across the country's cities in the next two weeks by the newly established campaign group, Girls Night In — who are calling for tighter security measures in venues, especially where students frequent.
However, for Carina White, who was 17 when she was spiked, this initiative is not far enough. The now 36-year-old tells VT: "I struggle to see the impact that will have to bring about meaningful change.
"This is not an issue about nightclubs, it's a societal issue about how the safety of women is compromised, and how we need more education for men around consent. Yes, nightclubs have a role to play, as do men as allies and the government, but I can't see how boycotting nightclubs will prevent women from being spiked. What happens when the boycott is over and normal service resumes?"
White, who is a Dope Black Mums podcaster, was on holiday with friends when she noticed that she had started to feel "really, really drunk".
"I sat down, and I thought I was leaning on someone who I thought was one of my mates, and told them that I was feeling very tired. Eventually, I managed to hold my head up to look at him, and he wasn't who I thought he was. It was an out-of-body experience. My mind could understand that something was wrong, but my body couldn't," she says.
Luckily, White was able to inform a friend, and she was taken to the toilet, where she made herself throw up several times. "I've never, ever felt like that," she continues. "I knew it was a different feeling to just being drunk — and I hadn't even had a lot. My friend had drunk the same amount as me, and she was fine."
Now, decades on, she's never forgotten the experience, and continues to warn her young cousins and godchildren about the dangers out there for young women — especially in light of the reported rise of injection spiking.
When I ask about her fears regarding this, she replies that it just makes her more worried in general. "As we've seen in recent months, due to high profile cases, the personal safety of women is compromised in modern society, and this is just another strand to the pillar of ways in which women are not safe."
