As college students return to town and head to local bars and nightclubs, police are again warning students and the public to watch out for spiked drinks and roofies.

“With the first weekend of the school year coming up, the Department would like to remind all students and the public of the dangerousness of scentless, colorless, and tasteless drugs such as Rohypnol, also known as roofie, being placed in the drinks of unsuspecting victims,” Boston Police wrote in a community alert.

Other drugs commonly used in a similar fashion are GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) or Ketamine.

These drugs and substances can cause disorientation, confusion, temporary paralysis, or unconsciousness, along with a host of other symptoms, “leaving the potential victim vulnerable to the intentions of the suspect,” police said.

“While the BPD encourages everyone to look out for each other when gathered in social settings by creating a ‘buddy system’ to prevent getting separated, there are steps you can take on your own to help ensure your personal safety,” BPD added.

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Those steps include: making sure that your drink is being served directly by the bartender or your server; watching your drink at all times; keeping your hand covered over your drink when you’re not looking at it; and testing your drink with test strips or nail polish that light up a certain color if they detect drugs.