A new law will require many establishments that serve booze in California to provide drug test tools and post signage warning about drink spiking, starting July 1 this year.
The measure, AB1310, requires establishments with a Type 48 liquor license – granted to bars and nightclubs, without a requirement to serve food – to offer patrons drug testing kits to test for common date-rape drugs, often referred to as ‘roofies,’ according to a press release.
The required signage will include a message reading, "Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here. Ask a staff member for details."
The state says the new law will affect approximately 2,400 establishments in the Golden State.
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Establishments must make test strips available, either for free or a small charge to customers who request them. Test strips have been on the market for a few years, often distributed at colleges, universities and within the U.S. military community.
State Assembly member Jowsh Lowenthal of Long Beach – who owns three restaurants – introduced the bill to prevent sexual assault, according to local FOX 2 KTVU.
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"We have a crisis that’s taking place that’s resulting in sexual assault, that’s targeting primarily women and members of the LGBTQ communities," Lowenthal said in a video presentation to the assembly. He is a father to three daughters and said the crime is underreported.
"By way of example, I have members of my staff that have been roofied, members of the legislative body that have been roofied," he said.
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California is the first state in the country to enact such a law.
