A new state law will require bars and nightclubs to serve up test strips to protect patrons from being roofied.
CALIFORNIA — On the rocks or with a roofie test?
Bars and nightclubs in California will soon be required to offer patrons a way to test if their drinks have been roofied under a new state law that goes into effect this year.
The law is meant to offer an accessible preventative measure for the problem of drink-spiking, where people adulterate bar patron’s drinks with drugs including flunitrazepam, ketamine and GBH, often with the aim of incapacitating them in order to commit sexual assault, according to legislators.
“Drink spiking is often an elusive crime. It can be difficult to catch perpetrators in the act. Additionally, victims who have already been drugged may be disoriented, incapacitated, appear to be inebriated unable to identify or communicate who the perpetrator may be, or may not even know who spiked their drink in the first place,” the bill’s author, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, said on the Assembly floor last year. “Once someone has had their drink spiked, it’s frequently too late to prevent the victim from falling victim to another crime, such as sexual assault.”
The Long Beach Police Department over the last three years received on average 25 reports from people who believed they were drugged while out with friends, according to an Assembly analysis. But studies suggest that drink spiking may be underreported. A 2016 study found that 7.8 percent of U.S. college students reported they’ve been drugged before, according to Time.
The law, which goes into effect July 1, requires bars and nightclubs to offer drug-testing devices to their customers, either for free or at a “reasonable” cost. Additionally, establishments will be required to post a notice that states “Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test available here. Ask a staff member for details.”
Testing methods on the market include strips and coasters that react to the presence of drugs after a few drops of a drink are placed on them, Lowenthal said.
“I kind of look at this as where we were with drunk driving 30 years ago where we know that there’s a crisis, it’s too late after it’s taken place — what can we do preventively, legally, and also to raise awareness to cut down on it, to make the environment safer for everyone?” Lowenthal said of the legislation, which passed unanimously.
West Hollywood in 2022 began distributing drink-spiking test stripsto nightlife venues in response to reports from bar patrons that they had been drugged while out in the city.
Long Beach recently launched a similar program.
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