In Amiens, 5,000 anti-GHB caps distributed in bars

It is the scourge of parties: GHB, nicknamed the date rape drug, circulates everywhere, whether in nightclubs, restaurants and bars. This colorless and odorless substance is poured without their knowledge into the glass of the victims. The symptoms resemble those of a person who has drunk too much: slowed breathing, nausea but also drowsiness and black holes. After numerous campaigns on social networks such as #balancetonbar, some night professionals are doubling their vigilance to prevent this type of drug from circulating in their establishment.

In Amiens, the city’s restaurateurs’ union has decided to distribute anti-drug caps. More than 5,000 protections were distributed in around twenty bars. This protection is equipped with a teat, thanks to which one can drink. This anti-intrusion cap is adjustable, it can be placed on any type of glass. This protection is washable and reusable. An initiative hailed by consumers. “It’s very reassuring to have this device at our disposal, because it’s more and more common drugs in the glasses, and the attacks that are linked”explains Lea.

There are also anti-GHB straws. In Nantes, five students imagined a stainless steel straw, capable of detecting the presence of date rape drugs. This rod has a yellow hoop that changes color if an illicit substance is introduced into the glass. It is the same technology used in pregnancy tests or anti-Covid tests. The five students in foreign languages ​​and cultures should file a patent for this device which initially was only an end-of-year project.

Another concept that works on the same principle as straw: varnish that changes color. Developed and marketed since 2017 by an American company, it changes color on contact with GHB but also other drugs such as ecstasy or ketamine. All you have to do is dip your painted nail in a glass.