Latest news with #GHB
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Essex woman's warning after drink spiked at Ibiza Rocks
A woman who became ill after her drink was spiked on holiday has been warning others to take extra care via a social media campaign. Layla Boudaboussa, 26, from Chigwell, Essex, was at an Ibiza Rocks event with her friends and her mother on the Spanish island on 11 July when she began to feel unwell. "I felt very drunk and I thought, I had not drunk enough to be feeling how I felt," she said. Ibiza Rocks has been approached for comment. Her mother, Jeanette Boudaboussa told her daughter that her eyes "were rolling in the back of my head"."They tried to stand me up and I couldn't stand, I couldn't speak. I was foaming at the mouth as well, apparently, which was quite traumatic to hear," the 26-year-old was taken to a medical room at the venue, where staff ran some tests."The ran a finger-prick test apparently, and that's how they determined that the level of alcohol in my system was quite low," she said. "So it meant I wasn't drunk and that obviously led to the conclusion of drugs. That's when they confirmed I had been spiked."She said she regained consciousness 15 hours later, but could barely stand up. Ms Boudaboussa said when her mother explained to her that her drink had been spiked she felt "tearful and really confused".Her GP in the UK told her she thought her drink had been spiked with the illegal drugs GHB and ketamine. "I'm starting to feel better now, but the first week was quite difficult," she said. "I kept falling asleep. I fell asleep eating my dinner."Ms Boudaboussa said her memory had also been affected and she had become added her mother was told by a manager at the event that spiking incidents had been happening on a daily Boudaboussa decided to post her experience on TikTok to warn others and her video has been viewed more than 269,000 times."I just wanted to turn a really negative experience into a positive one," she Boudaboussa said many people, including mothers, had contacted her and were buying drink covers for their sons and believed more could be done by venues to prevent drink spiking - including the use of film stickers placed over glasses once a drink has been poured. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat Housing Board residents protest delays, demand action on stalled redevelopment of housing societies
Residents of the Gujarat Housing Board (GHB) colonies and representatives from the Housing Apartment Redevelopment Federation submitted a letter to the Ahmedabad Collector Sujeet Kumar on Wednesday, protesting against the alleged delay in the redevelopment of housing societies and expressing sharp discontent over individuals and groups allegedly obstructing the process. In their memorandum, the residents demanded immediate action from the state government in coordination with the GHB and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. They urged strict enforcement of the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, particularly against illegal encroachments and unauthorised constructions by non-compliant members. The letter also criticised the lack of coordinated action among government departments, blaming inter-departmental buck-passing for a 'slowdown'. The residents also highlighted how each society has been forced to approach the High Court at its own cost, only to face 'indefinite delays and repeated adjournments'. They said they have faith in the judiciary, but called for swift intervention to clear the backlog of redevelopment cases. The letter named multiple affected societies in West Ahmedabad — Surya Apartment Part-2 (Naranpura), Abhishek Apartment, Amar Suramya, Shastri Nagar,Shanti Ravi, and Unnati, as well as Shraddhadip, Nirmal Apartment, Gokul Sundarvan, Shrinagar Shri Ganesh, Shivalay, Vishram Park, Utsav Hariom Nagar and Kiran Park of Wadaj, — which have been abandoned for four years now. Vaishali Apartment and Parishram Nagar in East Ahmedabad were also mentioned as being caught in prolonged litigation. The residents described their plight — homelessness, rising rents, displacement, and lack of support from public representatives. Many senior citizens and women have been compelled to protest on the streets, clinging to the dream of owning a home under the government's 75% consent policy, they said, adding that some elderly people have even passed away without witnessing the reconstruction of their homes. Despite repeated representations to the Chief Minister, GHB Commissioner, and local elected officials, the residents alleged to have not received any positive cooperation or concrete action. Their letter appealed for fast-tracking long-pending redevelopment cases in the High Court, strict enforcement of demolition and redevelopment laws and reduction of the notice period under Clause 60-A and a time-bound action plan to protect the interests of 75% consenting residents. Talking to The Indian Express, Sandeep Trivedi, Founder of the Housing Apartment Redevelopment Federation and Chairman of Rameshwaram Apartments, said the state's redevelopment policy has been in place since 2016, but 'due to objections raised by a handful of members from various societies, the entire process has been repeatedly stalled, particularly since 2022″. He added that during their meeting with the Collector, officials assured them that the administration would share their feedback with the government for any necessary policy revisions. If no resolution is found, the residents will launch peaceful protests, including hunger strikes and indefinite fasts, with full support from the Housing Apartment Redevelopment Federation, stated their letter. GHB Commissioner Sandeep B Vasava told this paper that notices have already been issued to non-compliant society members, and eviction orders were also passed. 'However, these individuals exercised their right to appeal under the provisions available to them. Even after losing those appeals, they have now challenged the matter in the High Court. It is currently sub-judice,' he said. Vasava added that the board received a formal representation from residents, and it will be forwarded to the state government with appropriate recommendations for further action.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This temporary tattoo could warn you if your drink has been spiked
For decades, 'protect your drink' has been one of the foundational unofficial rules of nightlife. The threat of unwittingly consuming a date-rape drug looms so large that steps to combat that risk have become a routine part of any night out. There are even new products designed specifically to defend against having a drink spiked. That level of diligence is, unfortunately, necessary. While the nature of date-rape drugs makes it hard to track how frequently they are used, evidence suggests that millions of people are sexually assaulted every year after consuming drugs they took involuntarily. Researchers in Korea have come up with a simple and effective idea that they hope will give people an easy new way to protect themselves. It's a temporary tattoo that can instantly detect the presence of one of the most common date-rape drugs from a single drop of a suspect drink. The tattoo is made with a mix containing a chemical receptor that reacts to even tiny amounts of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) — an odorless, tasteless drug that is often used in what authorities call drug-facilitated sexual assault. When the tattoo comes in contact with GHB, it changes color from yellow to red, providing a clear indication within one second that a beverage has been tampered with. There are other products on the market that can be used to test drinks for GHB, along with other date-rape drugs like Rohypnol and ketamine, but they are difficult to use discreetly and can take up to five minutes to provide results. Someone wearing one of the tattoos, on the other hand, could easily dip their finger into their beverage, touch the tattoo and know right away whether it has been tampered with. All this can be done in secret because the tattoos can be made in any shape, so their true purpose won't be obvious to the people around you. The researchers behind the tattoos hope their innovation will one day provide a 'proactive and accessible solution' that will allow people to easily and subtly protect themselves. According to a study published in the scientific journal ACS Sensors, the tattoos were consistently able to detect small amounts of GHB — as little as 0.01 micrograms in 1 milliliter of liquid — in a variety of beverages, including whiskey, vodka, beer, coffee and soju (a popular Korean alcoholic drink). The tattoos could also prove useful after an assault has occurred, the researchers say. Authorities often struggle to determine whether a victim consumed a 'spiked' drink because common date-rape drugs stop being detectible in someone's system within a few hours and often can only be verified by a professional lab. But the tattoos can display a positive result for up to 30 days, which the researchers say 'could be important if it's needed as a form of evidence of tampering.' So far, the tattoos have only been tested with GHB, but the researchers say the same system could likely be used to detect other drugs if different chemical receptors are added. It's unclear when the tattoos might be available to the public, but the researchers said a commercial product could be on the market soon because the tattoos are inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Researchers develop temporary tattoos that can test for spiked drinks
An experimental kind of temporary tattoo can near-instantly test beverages for the presence of unwanted drugs, a new study has found. Published Wednesday by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the study from Korean researchers developed a multicoloured temporary tattoo that reacts to the presence of GHB, a compound described as 'commonly associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault.' 'These drugs are colorless and tasteless, inducing a stupor in the victim that's similar to severe alcohol intoxication,' reads a release from the ACS. 'Consuming a drink spiked with drugs including Rohypnol (commonly known as roofies) or GHB when drinking in a social setting is an ever-present danger — even among friends and acquaintances.' According to the study, the chemicals in the tattoo can detect concentrations of GHB in beer, liquor or coffee, changing colour from yellow to red in order to alert the wearer that their beverage may have been spiked. 'In practice, a wearer could dip a finger into a beverage, touch the drop to the sticker and see the result almost immediately,' the release reads. In recent years, scientists have developed a variety of products to check beverages for drugs, from chemical test strips to more inconspicuous options like nail polish, coasters and stir sticks. The newly developed tattoos not only allow the users to test their drinks discreetly, but also act far faster than some older tests, delivering results in less than a second, rather than minutes. Researchers also say the results last for up to a month, which can help preserve evidence of suspected tampering. The tattoos are inexpensive to manufacture and 'could be commercially available soon,' according to the release. With files from CTV News Vancouver's Andrew Weichel
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Scientists create temporary tattoo that detects if your drink has been spiked
Scientists have created a temporary tattoo that can detect if a drink has been spiked with just a couple drops. The sticker, which is applied to the skin, can detect the presence of the drug Y-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) even in low concentrations within one second. Commonly used to spike drinks, the central nervous system depressant drug Rohypnol, known as roofies or GHB, has been liked with sexual assault. It causes drowsiness, slows down your breathing and reduces heart rate. These drugs are colourless, tasteless and induce a stupor in victims that is similar to severe alcohol intoxication – leaving people vulnerable to sexual assault. The prevalence of spiking is high with 11 per cent of UK adults report being spiked at any point in their lives, according to Drinkaware. It added that 9 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women have reported their drink being spiked. There are ways people can protect themselves from drink spiking, with specialised strips and cards that change colour when exposed to these drugs. But many of these drug testing kits are conspicuous or take minutes to report a result. In the study published in the journal ACS Sensors, researchers in South Korea set out to develop a rapid-acting test for GHB that's worn on the skin using a tattoo-like sticker. Gyeong-Ji Kim, Jai Eun An, Kyong-Cheol Ko, Oh Seok Kwon and colleagues created the stickers by placing a mould over the top of a thin plastic film decorated with tattoo-like designs. They poured a gel mixture into the mould which contained a chemical receptor that turns red when it detects GHB. The back of the sticker was then coated with a diluted glue solution, so it could stick to skin. Researchers tested the sticker's ability to detect small amounts of GHB in a variety of beverages: whiskey, vodka, beer, soju (a Korean alcoholic beverage) and coffee. The drug was detected within one second of coming into contact with the contaminated drinks. It even changed colour when it detected levels of the drug lower than what would induce serious physiological symptoms – 0.01 micrograms of GHB in 1 millilitre of beverage. The sticker is designed to be able to discreetly dip a finger into a drink, touch the drop to the sticker and see the result almost immediately. A positive result displays for up to 30 days after detection, which could be important if it's needed as a form of evidence of tampering. The researchers say that their sticker technology is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, and it could be commercially available soon.
