Kim Ode

About the author: Kim Ode is a staff writer at the Star Tribune, a daily newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from which this viewpoint is taken.

Efforts to ban the importation and sale of drugs used by rapists to attack unsuspecting women are an important step in the fight against date rape. Alcohol, however, remains the date rapist's drug of choice and is associated with the overwhelming majority of sexual assault cases. Young women must become more aware of how alcohol impairs decision-making ability—leaving them vulnerable to physical harm—and exercise greater caution when drinking in certain social situations.

In the war against date rape, the little triumphs count. But let's not get drunk on victory...