I’m not the alarmist type, but when my friend told me what happened to her daughter, I got chills. I immediately thought of my Biquette, her friends, my niece, my neighbour…
Posted yesterday at 2:00 p.m.
They too could have been the victims of a similar story, the consequences of which are far from trivial.
That evening, at the end of April, four ambulances were called just in a small area between Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Duluth Avenue. Four young women had gone out to have fun, dance in a club and left, in spite of themselves, drugged with GHB, commonly known as the drug of date rape or theft.
It was the first time that S. had gone out to a bar in Montreal. With her freshly acquired majority of 18, there was excitement in the air, fun and hormones in the carpet! All that is most normal and healthy, especially after two years of pandemic where the desire for freedom is felt everywhere. Don’t we all feel like we have two years to catch up? This is even more true for teenagers and young adults for whom this pivotal and exploratory period is necessary for self-construction and independence.
In short, S. and her friend arrived first and the five others would follow quickly. While waiting for them, they went to order a drink at the bar.
S. remembered her mother’s wise words and the importance of always keeping her drink in her hands. Do we ever know…
A young man approached her and offered to offer her a drink. She gently declined, but he insisted heavily. Once, twice, and the third time, she made him understand firmly that she was able to afford a drink, thank you good evening!
That’s when the band of friends. es de S. has arrived. She looked away only a few seconds to greet them, her glass still in her hands. She got up to go on the dance floor. Fifteen minutes later, she collapsed under the panicked gaze of her friends. are. S. had taken two, three sips from his glass, at most.
But how could she have been intoxicated without her knowing it when she hadn’t let go of her glass?
“They are very skilled,” the police told the girl’s mother.
Under one sleeve, they put a small vial held on the wrist by a rubber band. Then, with a subtle arm movement, the liquid falls above the glass. A few drops are enough to poison the victim.
Neither seen nor known. In general, the one who puts the drug without the knowledge of the person quickly leaves. Other accomplices arrive a few minutes later, pretend to be good friends/Samaritans and take the poor girl who won’t remember anything. Blackout. Imagine the rest…
Sometimes, the hypothesis of the connivance of the “staff” with street gangs is not excluded. Similar cases of young women drugged with GHB or ketamine occur both in bars and at private parties, which is extremely worrying. If girls are more often targeted, boys are not spared.
GHB is an odorless, colorless liquid whose effect is rapid and which remains only a very short time in the body. Six hours in blood and ten to twelve hours in urine. Hence the importance of going to the emergency room quickly for a sample.
Hospitals still have to offer this kind of test or agree to do so, which is not always the case. Not to mention the times when the medical staff minimizes the situation: “Another one who does not know how to drink! »
Without medical evidence, it is impossible to file a complaint and the recourse is almost nil, no investigation. There is a kind of impunity on the part of these cowards, without faith or law, who do not care about the repercussions of their actions.
As a mother of two teenagers, I am overwhelmed and worried. This situation so sneaky makes me scream and apart from the advice we can give, we are not sure of anything.
By reading exhaustively on the subject, by asking several questions around me, I note that many young people often know a person to whom it happened. Should we remember that drugging someone without their knowledge is a criminal act?
How is it that there is not more prevention done in schools, CEGEPs and universities? Shouldn’t our children be made aware and educated not to minimize such a gesture?
The authorities should take the matter very seriously and give this social phenomenon all the importance it deserves.
Are we witnessing the emergence of a new scourge in Montreal? If so, now is the time to act!
A few days before the Grand Prix, a weekend of high festivities, proms and after-prom evenings, summer parties, can we offer a little peace and carefreeness to our youth who so much need?