Local bars, nightclubs must offer drink spiking test strips
by Elka Worner
Beginning July 1, a new California law will require bars and nightclubs to make test strips available customers that detect date rape drugs and post warning signs about drink spiking.
“People want to go out and enjoy themselves without having a bull’s eye on their back,” said State Assembly member Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), who authored the new law.
In Hermosa Beach, only St. Rocke and the Hermosa Beach Saloon will be required to provide test strips to customers for a nominal fee. They must also post signs that read: “Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here. Ask staff for details.”
The new law impacts about 2,482 bars and nightclubs across the state with Type 48 Alcohol and Beverage Control licenses, which do not require food to be served. Downtown Hermosa Beach bars, such as American Junkie, Baja Sharkeez and Hennessey’s Tavern, are not subject to the new law because they serve food.
Redondo Beach resident Melanie Shuck, 25, said the strips are a “great idea” that would make her feel “100% safer” when she goes out for a drink. She said her best friend was roofied at a college bar in Santa Cruz, and since then, she has been “pretty alert” to the problem.
“I went to a brew pub by myself and put a coaster on top of my drink when I went to the bathroom,” Shuck said.
She said test strips should be available wherever alcohol is served, including at brew pubs and wine bars. Being vigilant and having bars checking security cameras to catch perpetrators is also important, Shuck said. “We need to do everything we can to stop this,” she added.
As a bar and restaurant owner, and parent of three daughters, Lowenthal said he became increasingly concerned about the number of women being drugged at bars and nightclubs, which leads to other crimes, including sexual assault.
“The under-reported epidemic of drink spiking or roofying continues to plague California and the world,” the assembly member said. “Drink spiking doesn’t just happen in dive bars. It can happen at places like the Ritz Carlton, and it can happen to anyone.”
“I have members of my staff who have been roofied, members of the legislative body that have been roofied.”
The challenge, he said, is catching the perpetrators in the act. “You can’t see common date rape drugs like GBH and Ketamine, and can’t taste or smell them,” he said. Also, it can be difficult to distinguish someone who is drunk from someone who has had their drink spiked.
The controlled substance usually passes through the victim’s system overnight, making it difficult to prove she has been roofied.
“This is a low-cost way for bar and nightclub owners to keep their patrons safe,” he said.
In addition to the test strips, which can be used for drinks, customers can also place a few drops of a drink on coasters that have test strips.
California is the first state in the country to enact this law. But Lowenthal is not stopping there. He has more bills in the pipeline like requiring drinks to have lids, training bar employees to recognize signs of drink spiking and establishing a Safe Bar Program.
“We have to have a community approach to this where everyone is watching out for each other,” he said. “The only metric that matters is cutting down on sexual assault.” ER