OLYMPIA, Wash. — A new bill would require bars, nightclubs, and other businesses that sell alcohol to provide date rape drug testing kits.
Senator Manka Dhingra will join Lake Washington High School students Wednesday afternoon to file the proposal in Olympia.
The legislation, modeled after a California bill passed in 2023, would also require the establishment to post a notice in a prominent location saying, “Don’t get roofied! Drink-spiking drug test kits are available here. Ask a staff member for details.”
The bill will require establishments to sell the kits at wholesale price and they would not be liable for defective tests or inaccurate results.
According to a 2016 study published by the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychology of Violence, more than one in 13 students reported being drugged. Researchers surveyed 6,064 students from three American universities.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says one in four women and about one in 26 men have experienced rape or attempted rape.
©2025 Cox Media Group
