Hospital.Help

Freiburg – The Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University Hospital of Freiburg has started a study that is intended to make it easier to record and analyze knockout drugs in nightlife. Because: After just twelve hours, many substances that are abused as knockout drops can no longer be detected.

“This study allows us to better estimate how and to what extent knockout drugs are used in nightlife,” said Annette Thierauf-Emberger, medical director of the Institute for Forensic Medicine at the University Hospital of Freiburg. Due to the substances’ short detectability, it is crucial that those affected act quickly in order to obtain a reliable and meaningful analysis result.

“To date, it is usually no longer possible to achieve a reliable result because too much time has passed between the administration of knockout agents and the collection of samples. “That’s why it’s clear: If we want to understand the situation, we have to get the samples directly from the nightlife,” says Thierauf-Emberger. Test kits are being distributed in numerous participating bars, clubs and other facilities.

If a person suspects that they have received knockout drops in a bar, for example, they must collect a urine sample within twelve hours of the suspected incident. To do this, she can speak directly to the bar staff and receive a container for a urine sample and information about the study.

Those affected receive the result of the test after a few days. If knockout drops are detected, it is up to the participant how they deal with the result. The test is free of charge for those affected.

“We want to shed more light on the number of unreported cases of abuse of knockout drops so that preventive measures can be specifically strengthened on this basis,” emphasized Thierauf-Emberger. According to the institute, all data collected is processed pseudonymously. © hil/aerzteblatt.de