Sean Combs’ drug case sheds light on a serious problem in Ohio

Gov. Mike DeWine, Sens. J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown, and state lawmakers must pass statewide mandates and provide adequate funding to ensure widespread testing.

Stephanie Dershaw
| Guest columnist

Stephanie Dershaw is the CEO of Survivors of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, an advocacy, education and support organization in Columbus.

Among the accusations contained in indictment against Sean Combsthe government alleges that Combs drugged women without their consent in order to commit sexual assault.

Criminal charges for drug-induced sexual assault vary by state.

In Ohio, using drugs without consent is a crime, but hospitals and law enforcement agencies in our state have no uniform protocols or standards for collecting and refrigerating urine and blood from victims – essential evidence needed to bring charges.

The ability to conduct effective testing is often overlooked because the drugs used by perpetrators to commit the crime are eliminated by the body before being administered by hospitals or hospitals simply do not perform such testing incapacitating drugs.

Untested children have consequences

Based on data collected by my organization, Survivors of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, forensic nurses in Ohio collected over 700 blood and urine samples from suspected victims in 2023. Toxicology laboratories processed 200 of them.

This means that around 500 kits have not been tested, and since urine and blood must be properly refrigerated, the evidence is now probably useless.

Even when urine and blood kits are collected from victims, the supply chain for these kits in Ohio is unreliable and no individual or agency is held accountable.

According to forensic nurses who care for victims, drug administration kits (these are kits that test for knockout drugs) are processed in separate facilities than rape kits, which typically contain DNA evidence.

When hospitals and law enforcement fail to secure evidence and investigate alleged crimes, perpetrators like it Michael DiGiorgioA 50-year-old California man accused of drugging and sexually assaulting nine women and murdering one of them may strike again.

There are critical steps we can take.

Change must happen

Emergency departments can increase the number of forensic nurses trained to collect evidence from suspected survivors.

Additionally, hospital staff and local law enforcement officials should be trained to show compassion to victims. Too often, victims who test positive for illicit substances after having intentionally ingested them are treated with contempt in hospital emergency rooms, and their claims that they are under the influence of GHB, ketamine, and other “rape drugs” are discounted.

My organization is building a coalition of survivors, forensic nurses, and other advocates to pressure hospitals, police departments, and government health officials to plug evidence-gathering gaps and prosecute serial rapists who drug their victims.

Gov. Mike DeWine, Sens. J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown, and state lawmakers must pass statewide mandates and provide adequate funding to ensure widespread testing.

My journey from survivor to advocate showed me the power of social action. Together we can ensure that my story and stories like mine will be a catalyst for movement towards a safer and more supportive community for all.

Our website, www.survivorsofdfsa.orgserves as a resource and community center where survivors and allies can connect.

Stephanie Dershaw is the CEO of Survivors of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, an advocacy, education and support organization in Columbus.