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Deliberate drug spiking is a problem that is gaining momentum
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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In 2009, nearly 15,000 American women and men ended up in emergency rooms unwittingly but intentionally high on drugs, a new federal report says.
About 60 percent of those cases occurred after someone secretly slipped the drug into the victim's drink, according to the data, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) that was the first of its kind as the problem became more widespread in society.
For example, in 3/4 cases of intentional poisoning, people over 21 years old became victims. Despite the fact that the victims of such crimes are mainly women, almost 4 out of 10 are men.
"It's not a disaster, but it is a serious situation," said Peter Delaney, director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Statistics. "It means that a lot of people are coming into emergency rooms today because they unknowingly took drugs like stimulants, cocaine, Ecstasy.
"So if you're in a situation where people are using alcohol and/or drugs, you have to keep a close eye on things and be on the lookout for suspicious people," he added.
There are many motives for intentional drug trafficking, SAMHSA officials say.
About 3 million American women have been raped as a result of drug poisoning, although the actual number may be much higher. The problem is that not all potential victims realize when they are being given drugs, as the perpetrator's intentions are sometimes very difficult to determine.
Moreover, intentional drug poisoning can be not only for the purpose of sexual violence, but also for robbery or murder.
The general results of the study are as follows:
- Of the 4.6 million cases of drug poisoning, 14,720 were the result of intentional poisoning. The vast majority of sick patients (84%) were examined and sent home without hospitalization.
- In about 60% of cases, the drugs were not identified, in 37%, a combination of alcohol and unknown drugs was detected. In almost 20% of cases, unknown chemicals were found, and in another 7%, a mixture of illegal drugs.
- Overall, in more than 2/3 of the total number of cases involving victims, a mixture of several drugs was found.
- Almost one-third of poisonings involved the use of illegal drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy, and stimulants. And about one-fifth involved prescription drugs, such as painkillers, tranquilizers, and antidepressants. The SAMHSA team noted that 63% of the victims were women.
Based on the findings of the report, the authors suggested that to address the current situation, all efforts should be directed towards raising public awareness of the problem, especially in high-risk settings such as bars and clubs where alcohol and drugs are widely available.
"It's a moral issue," Delaney said. "People do stupid things to people. We're not going to advocate against going to clubs and bars. But we can really help by reaching out to the community and young people and saying, 'Be alert when you feel you're in a dangerous situation involving alcohol and/or drugs in a social setting.'"
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