Free date rape test strips were provided to nightclubs and bars in West Hollywood Monday as part of a new program to help make nightlife safer for customers.
The kits are designed to show whether a drink was spiked with drugs like flunitrazepam, ketamine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, aka GHB. Each kit has five testing strips with two tests on each side of the strip.
Users place a drop of a drink on the strip to test it for drugs.
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"This is not just something that happened to me," said Keely Field, of the West Hollywood Women’s Advisory Board. "This is something that happens every night, Not just in West Hollywood.
"If someone could take their pinky and see what’s in their drink by literally putting it in from their straw, put on a card, see if there's GHB or ketamine or even ground up horse tranquilizer pills in my case, they won’t continue to drink the drink, be assaulted later and left on the floor."
Nearly 11 million women in the United States have be raped while drunk, drugged or high, according to the Office on Women's Health. The city did not provide statistics on sexual assaults possibly linked to spiked drinks, but said the problem is so profound that it can't be ignored.
The distribution effort began Monday when volunteers and city politicians handed out kits at some of West Hollywood's 200 entertainment businesses.
The city council held a meeting Monday night to discuss the program and safety. Shane Ivan Nash spoke at the session about his assault eight months ago.
"I think it would have made a huge difference in my case," Nash said. "If I had known I had that resource in my jacket pocket and I was feeling a little weird? I would have been able to at least test my drink."
The drugs may look like pills, liquid or powders and often have no color, odor or taste when added to a drink or food. Alcohol can increase the effects of the drugs, making it more difficult to make decisions and remember what happened.
In November, West Hollywood passed an ordinance that requires alcohol servers at bars and nightclubs to undergo bystander intervention training. The training is designed to educate employees about proactive roles they can take in preventing drugging-related crimes.
The city plans to schedule more test kit distribution events and could recommended more funding for the program.
The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station urge anyone who believes they are a victim to call 310-855-8850. In an emergency, call 911.
