Venues in California will be required to supply “roofie” testing kits from July 2024 following the passing of a new law designed to prevent spiking. The kits will test for drugs like ketamine and GHB and can be utilised with test strips, stickers or straws. Assembly member Josh Lowenthal introduced the bill in April of last year, citing concerns over drug safety amidst a crisis with fentanyl and the problem of sexual assault, which he said was disproportionately affecting women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. “I have members of my staff that have been roofied,” he said. “There are members of the legislative body that have been roofied.”
California venues will be required to stock the kits and offer them at a “reasonable price” or for free. The new law follows changes made in the UK in December that provided a “clear” and “unequivocal” definition of spiking, while training door staff to identify signs of the problem. Changes were also promised to funding research into spiking test kits and creating an online tool for reporting spiking anonymously.
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, criticized the measures for not going far enough and said that “the government’s failure to designate spiking as a distinct crime is disheartening and does not reflect the need to address this growing concern.” Alongside the UK’s changes, drink spiking numbers across the country have risen, leading to a growing focus on the risks and how to make venues safer
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