Mounties warn about accepting drinks that could be laced with date rape drug

NANAIMO, B.C. – Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., are warning the public not to accept drinks from strangers after at least five 19-year-old women who did so reported feeling ill afterwards.

Police say their symptoms were consistent with those associated with GHB, the so-called date rape drug.

Const. Gary O’Brien says the first reported incident happened last month, when a woman said she started hallucinating and feeling nauseous 15 minutes after accepting a drink from a man at a local nightclub.

Four other women said they had severe memory loss and felt confused or dizzy after they accepted drinks from a stranger.

Police believe the alcohol was laced with GHB, a clear, tasteless, odourless drug that can be lethal and is almost undetectable when mixed with alcohol.

None of the women reported being sexually assaulted, and investigators are examining surveillance videos at nightclubs to try and identify any suspects.