RALEIGH, N.C. -- Triangle-based company Undercover Colors is using technology to fight the evils of sexual assault.
- The SipChip is used to test for common date rape drugs
- 7.6 percent of college students have been drugged or suspect they have been drugged
- A loophole in current NC law means a person who has drugged a drink may not necessarily be charged
"You have the ability to now test your drink for the most common types of date rape drugs and it works in over 100 different types of beverages,"said Dr. Nicolas Letourneau, Director of Research and Development for Undercover Colors.
They have invented a test called the "SipChip". One line on the chip means the drink has been drugged, while two lines means the drink is drug-free.
A study from the University of South Carolina shows 7.6 percent of college students have been drugged or suspect they have been drugged.
A loophole in current North Carolina law means a person who has drugged another person's drink may not necessarily be charged.
"When laws were created, we were not thinking about women's safety, definitely not, in the way that we are today so it wasn't on our consciousness and we went years without looking at what was on our statutes,"said Monika Johnson Hostler, Executive Director for NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
A bill is moving through the General Assembly to make drugging a drink a crime, but advocates say it's always best to stay alert regardless.
"I always tell young people-trust your instincts," said Johnson Hostler. "So if something doesn't feel right, talk to the people that you are with and you trust and get yourself to safety."
Undercover Colors hopes the SipChip can deter a potential criminal from spiking a drink in the first place.
"We would be thrilled if we could eliminate drug-facilitated sexual assault completely and there wasn't a need for this product, but until then we are going to provide this product and continue to enhance it to try and reduce the crime rate as much as possible," Letourneau said.