There has been a rise in cases.

Content warning: there are references to spiking throughout this article. Gardaí have confirmed that they are investigating an alleged spiking incident in Dublin that was caused by a needle prick. According to the Irish Examiner, they are looking into the alleged incident as there are growing reports in the UK and Ireland of spiking via injections. There have also been 198 confirmed cases of spiked drinks in the UK in September and October alone, with 24 of these involving some form of injection. Gardaí have confirmed that they are now investigating an alleged assault in Ireland when a woman became disoriented after she believed she was drugged by a needle prick on a night out. They are trying to figure out the exact circumstances of the incident at the moment. A number of incidents involving a "date rape drug" have been recorded in 2021, according to a Garda spokesperson.

"Separately, the presence of a ‘date rape drug’ could form part of the narrative of a substantive incident, such as Assault, and be an aggravating factor," they said.

Victims of spiking have been urged to come forward and report these incidents to their local Garda station, with details on how to go about it on garda.ie.

Advice on drink spiking and other issues related to this can be found on hse.ie.

Various college campuses and Student's Unions are also urging students to be safe and vigilant when going out to bars or nightclubs.