A new law in California will require most bars and nightclubs to have drug testing kits available for customers.
The kits will detect common date-rape drugs.
"I thought it was a fantastic idea," said Brian Jinings, who is the co-owner of Number One Fifth Avenue, a bar in Hillcrest.
According to the Alcohol Beverage Control, the law pertains to type 48 applicants and licensees.
Businesses can decide whether to charge customers for the testing kits or give them out for free.
The kits should be available by July 1, 2024.
Jinings says his bar is still figuring out how to implement the kits.
"Having a tool that's available to where a customer or employee can take control into their own hands and be able to really look out for themselves, I think that's a plus," said Jinings.
The law was proposed by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach).
“Due to the challenges of addressing and prosecuting this crime after it has taken place, preventative measures are a commonsense way to try to curb the instances of drugging that are taking place in Type 48 establishments,” said Lowenthal in a statement last year.
Long Beach already provides businesses with drug testing kits through the city's initiative, SipSafe.
Other cities, like West Hollywood, also distributed testing kits to bars back in August of 2022.
