(Olympia, WA) They’re not old enough yet to drink in bars, but a group of Washington students wants to make nightlife in the state safer.
A bill in the state Legislature requested by Lake Washington High School students aims to protect people from drink spiking.
The measure would require some establishments selling alcohol, including bars and nightclubs, to have testing kits on hand so patrons can see if their drinks have been drugged. Sponsors amended the bill this week in light of concerns of overreach lodged by a hospitality trade group.
Businesses covered by the proposal would also have to post a notice that test kits are available.
Bars would sell the test strips, stickers or straws to customers for a “reasonable amount based on the wholesale cost of the device.”
Usually, the tests look for drugs like Rohypnol, also known as “roofies.” When placed in alcoholic drinks, the drugs can incapacitate people unexpectedly so they can’t resist sexual assault, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. The tests also detect ketamine and gamma hydroxybutyric acid.
“As a group of young women entering college, we are scared for our future,” Lake Washington senior Ava Brisimitzis told a Senate panel last week. “While nightlife is still years away, there are thousands of Washingtonians right now affected by this problem. No one should question whether or not they might return home safely.”
Senate Bill 5330 would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. It has a committee vote set for Friday.
The proposal is patterned after a similar law passed in California that went into effect last July. That law affected 2,400 establishments.
When a drink is spiked, “many times, it’s too late to prevent that person from falling victim to another crime, and that’s why prevention awareness is so important,” said Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, the bill’s prime sponsor.
Critics said the original bill in Washington goes far beyond the California law. The initial version included taverns, nightclubs, theaters, hotels and more. The California legislation only applies to establishments like nightclubs that exclude minors and aren’t required to serve food.
Last week, Washington Hospitality Association lobbyist Julia Gorton said the bill “needs many more conversations.”
The hospitality association would support a version like California’s law, said Jeff Reading, a spokesperson for the trade group.
Now, a revised version of the bill looks to more closely align Washington’s proposal with California’s by focusing on establishments that don’t allow minors.
Washington’s unusual liquor licensing system has made drafting the bill difficult, Dhingra said. The state simply has too many types of licenses. She wants to “clean up” Washington’s liquor license statute.
“This is really not meant to be onerous, but really meant to be a partnership to make sure all the patrons are safe,” Dhingra told the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee last week.
California’s legislation also stated the signage must say “Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here.” But Dhingra felt that language may be seen as blaming the victim, so the new version of the Washington bill doesn’t require specific verbiage in the sign.
A 2016 study published in the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychology of Violence found nearly 8% of 6,064 students surveyed at three universities believed they’d been drugged.
This story first appeared on Washington State Standard.