Buffalo State senior Jenna Bolivard, VP of Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate, was asked how uncomfortable she feels when she’s out at a party.

Her response emulated that of presumably many other college girls.

“Six or seven out of 10, especially if you’re someone who goes out every weekend and it happens every weekend,” she said.

However, while many women have heard the term ‘roofie’, they may not be familiar with what exactly that entails or how they can protect themselves. That’s why PULSE hosted an informative event open to all students as part of PULSE week at Buffalo State.

“[Roofie] means that you’ve been dosed with Rohypnol or a similar drug,” said PULSE treasurer Debbie Leonard.

Rohypnol, also known as the date-rape drug, is a dissolvable pill with no color, odor, or taste. Someone who has ingested the drug would typically not be aware of it until the next day.

Symptoms include-
drowsiness
trouble talking
inability to move
anterograde amnesia – a decreased ability to retain new information – meaning you won’t remember what happened while you were on the drug.

“Rohypnol is illegal in the United States, but other countries use it to sleep,” said Leonard.

The presentation included tips on how students can avoid falling victim to being drugged at parties or bars.

Don’t accept drinks from strangers
Be aware of talks in the room regarding the date-rape drug.
Only accept drinks that are in sealed bottles or cans.

There are also products that can be purchased to test your drink if you are concerned or may have been targeted. Sipchips, made by technology company Undercover Colors, are coin-sized testing strips that can detect the presence of drugs in your beverage.

Place one drop of your drink onto the testing strip with your finger or a straw. The strip will reveal two lines for a non-contaminated drink and one line for a drink that contains drugs. Sipchips are $14.99 for a pack of five and have a 99.3% accuracy rate.

“Just make sure you go everywhere with your friends, to the bathroom, or even if you’re wandering off or want to go to the other side of the room, go with a friend,” said Bolivard.