OLYMPIA – Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) will join Lake Washington High School students 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to file a bill addressing drink spiking.  

Bars, nightclubs, and other establishments that sell alcohol would need to make testing kits available for patrons to determine if their drinks have been drugged, under the proposal brought forward by the students in Dhingra’s district. The bill would also require the establishment to post a notice in a prominent location saying, “Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here. Ask a staff member for details.” 

A 2016 study published by the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychology of Violence found more than 1 in 13 students reported being drugged (462 students, 7.8% of the sample, reported 539 incidents). Researchers surveyed 6,064 students from three American universities. 

“I’m inspired by these students who see a problem in our community and are doing something about it,” Dhingra said. “We know drink spiking can be a means to facilitate sexual assault. Once a drink has been spiked, it’s often too late to prevent the drugged person from falling victim to another crime. That’s why prevention is key. These kits can help make night life safer.” 

According to the CDC, one in four women and about one in twenty-six men have experienced rape or attempted rape. In 2023, there were 2,486 reported rape cases in Washington state, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs’ annual Washington crime report. 

Under Dhingra’s proposal, establishments would sell the kits at a reasonable wholesaling price without being liable for defective or inaccurate results.  

Date rape drugs include any substance that compromises an individual’s ability to consent to sexual activity. Those impacts to a victim make drink spiking and potential subsequent crimes difficult to track.  

Under an updated definition passed in 2024, first-degree rape now includes a person who engages in sexual intercourse with another person, “After the perpetrator or an accessory knowingly furnishes the victim with a legend drug, controlled substance, or controlled substance analog without the victim’s knowledge and consent which renders the victim incapable of consent to sexual intercourse due to physical helplessness or mental incapacitation.” 

The legislation is modeled after a California bill passed in 2023. 

WHO: Sen. Manka Dhingra, Lake Washington High School students 

WHAT: Filing a bill to require date rape drug test kits in certain establishments 

WHEN: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15 

WHERE: The Hopper, Senate Workroom, LEG 310 

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