California bars required to offer drug testing devices for drinks this summer

New law AB 1013 requires establishments with Type 48 license to enact the change by July 1

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. 

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