True story.\u00a0 Just two weeks ago, two 25-year old women walked into a local, popular Boston bar, accompanied by a young man who is a friend. It is 10 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was their first and only stop of the evening.\u00a0 After dinner and a few drinks prior at home, they ordered one round of drinks and brought them to their table \u2013 but the women eventually went the dance floor, leaving their drinks behind.\u00a0 The young man walked away to talk to a friend.\u00a0 Twenty minutes later, the girls could barely stand and at 11 p.m. the young man was asked to take the girls out of the bar.\u00a0 The three of them hop in an Uber; one of the women becomes violently ill.\u00a0 The Uber kicks them all out and leaves them on the side of the road.\u00a0 The girls cannot function and have no memory of what happened; one hits her head on the sidewalk and gets concussed.\u00a0 Finally, the police arrive: though they don\u2019t see the group back home to safety, they do allow the young man to charge his phone in their car.\u00a0 They manage to get another Uber and get home 2 \u00bd hours later.\u00a0 The next day, the second woman gets violently ill.\u00a0 By Monday morning, neither one can work \u2013 they get labs done and one reveals the presence of an opiate in her system.\u00a0 This confirmed what all 3 suspected: someone spiked the girls\u2019 drinks with drugs, likely while they were on the dance floor away from their drinks.\u00a0 In this case, they were fortunate to be in the presence of a young man whose drink had not been spiked \u2013 but far worse things could have happened, had they been alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Google search will reveal this is not an isolated incident<\/em>:\u00a0 there are stories of women across the country, of all ages, who have fallen victim to this crime \u2013 one woman reported it happened to her while she was out with her husband.\u00a0 Women are typically the targets of drink spiking; and it can happen anywhere, from nightclubs and pubs to parties in private homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes only 15-20 minutes for these drugs to essentially erase one\u2019s mind.\u00a0 Drink spiking can be linked to crimes including sexual assault and robbery.\u00a0 It is illegal to spike a drink with a drug or extra alcohol. \u00a0It\u2019s serious stuff.\u00a0 Yet, many victims don\u2019t file a police report \u2013 for starters, it requires going into the police station in person, and some are embarrassed to do it.\u00a0 However, without a police report, there is no investigation, and the bad guys can continue this illegal behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Public Relations body of knowledge recommends 4 types of campaigns that can be taken to change these behaviors and others:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can these be applied to this challenge \u2013 on the part of patrons, drinking establishments, Uber\/Lyft services and law enforcement?\u00a0 Here are some initial thoughts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coalition Campaign for Patrons encouraging the following behaviors: <\/u><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Engineering for Drinking Establishments and Professional Associations<\/u><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Engineering Behaviors for Uber & Lyft Drivers<\/u><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Train drivers not to leave patrons roadside.\u00a0 When I Googled, \u201cwhat happens if someone vomits in an Uber?\u201d, a list of charges came up that ranged from $80 for a \u201cmoderate interior mess\u201d to $150 for a \u201cmajor bodily fluid mess\u201d.\u00a0 Uber drivers are allowed to kick someone out of a vehicle \u201cif there is a good reason \u2013 for example, a rider who is unruly, drunk and\/or violent.\u00a0 However, the safety of the passenger is important as well.\u201d\u00a0 One can understand the frustration of the Uber and Lyft drivers in this scenario \u2013 and yet, passenger safety needs to be considered.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enforcement by the Law<\/u><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What are your ideas for changing behaviors and addressing the problem of drink spiking? Email rschell@jjwpr.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA is Senior Counsel and Partner at Jackson Jackson & Wagner, a behavioral public relations and management consulting firm on the NH Seacoast.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" True story.\u00a0 Just two weeks ago, two 25-year old women walked into a local, popular Boston bar, accompanied by a young man who is a friend. It is 10 p.m. It was their first and only stop of the evening.\u00a0 After dinner and a few drinks prior at home, they ordered one round of drinks … <\/p>\n