Don't 'assume she drank too much' says woman drugged twice at Montreal bars
CBC
Rozana Ryan was out with friends in Montreal Friday night when she realized something was off.
"I remember my conversations — like crystal clear — and 20 minutes after, I started to feel really dizzy," said Ryan, 22.
"I couldn't stay straight," she said, remembering one of her friends asking her if she wanted to sit down. After that, everything went blank. "It's so scary."
One of her friends took her home immediately. It's the second time this has happened to her, she said, but this time it was much stronger. She woke up in bed, panicking. Then she saw her best friend was next to her and realized she was safe.
But the drug was still affecting her. She passed out in the bathroom for four hours Saturday morning, she said.
This is the second time in six months she suspects she was drugged while out in Montreal. The first time it happened to her, she said, she could remember things more clearly, though the drug left her immobilized — conscious but unable to move.
Ryan has not filed a complaint with the police yet because she says she is still anxious about the incident. She did call Quebec's medical help line for advice and was told to drink lots of water and rest, she said.
Drugs used in these situations are often colourless and odourless, making it difficult or impossible for the victim to detect them, said Gabrielle Comtois, an analyst with a provincial association of sexual assault victims, Regroupement québécois des centres d'aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel (RQCALACS).
She has worked extensively on issues related to gender-based violence, including sexual violence and harassment.
"Different drugs can be used, but unfortunately the majority of them are cheap and easily accessible," she said.
According to the RQCALACS, 15 percent of sexual assaults reported in the province are related to the use of drugs and other substances.
"Typically the victim wakes up in an environment or with a feeling that suggests a sexual assault has occurred, but the victim is often unable to recall it, which makes it difficult to then report it," Comtois said.
Montreal police encourage victims to call them if they suspect they have been drugged.
Earlier this month, provincial police announced a large-scale drug bust that included the arrest of several suspects. Among the drugs seized was 77 litres of gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly referred to as the "date rape" drug.