Find Date Rape Drugs In Your Drinks: ‘KnoNap’ Napkin Created By Sexual Assault Victim To Catch Spiked Drinks


Even before the #MeToo movement, many women learned from their moms the conventional wisdom of trying to stay safe – including parking in well-lit areas, carrying car keys in hand with the sharp parts facing outward, and never leaving drinks unattended in order to prevent beverages being spiked with date rape drugs. Now a new invention is helping people to check the presence of date rape drugs in a discreet way.

In the past, “date-rape” drug-test coasters or kits were made available, but their clunky and obvious presence – combined with authorities warning they could provide a false sense of safety – made them unpopular. Such may not be the case with the new “KnoNap” napkin created by a George Washington University student that professes to test for drugs in a discreet manner. According to Fox 5, Danya Sherman, created the “KnoNap” napkin after being a victim of drink-tampering and sexual assault.

“In the summer of 2016, while studying abroad in Spain, my friend drugged and assaulted me. It was the first time I actually became aware of the issue and it became very personal.”

The “KnoNap” works by dropping droplets of a beverage on the napkin. If it changes colors, it may mean drugs are detected.


Sherman ran with her inspiration to create the drug-detecting napkin in order to deal with her own assault in 2016 but says that the invention grew into a way to help the sexual assault victims who have had their drinks tampered with prior to their assaults.

Since napkins are a common sight at bars, eateries, and homes, the presence of the drug-detecting product wouldn’t be easy to spot. With hopes of a product launch coming in 2018, Sherman hopes to help others not become victims.

According to North Jersey, the practice of what used to be called slipping someone a “Mickey” with the intent to assault them or steal from them is now known as a “drug-facilitated crime.”

Sherman’s “KnoNap” comes with the tagline: “The Napkin that Knows.” Because they look like real napkins, the “KnoNap” can be easily carried around in purses and then put to use by dropping a small portion of a beverage on the corners of the napkins to test for benzodiazepines like Rohypnol (nickname Roofies), Xanax, Valium — along with no less than 26 of the 40 common date rape drugs. Another product, named DrinkSafe, is a coaster that only tests for ketamine and GHB and is already available in the market.

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