OHIO — Lawmakers are working on a new requirement for restaurants and bars in Ohio.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Senate Bill 348 aims to require bars and restaurants to have date rape drug testing devices available for their customers’ use.
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Mackenzie Manley owns Macks Tavern in Centerville. She said her hometown bar doesn’t have an issue with people’s drinks being spiked.
She believes it’s more common in clubs or at bars near college campuses.
Manley added that she doesn’t think businesses should have to foot the bill for these kits.
“We’re trying to keep the lights on like everybody else in Ohio and across the United States, so that’s just a cost that we don’t have,” Manley said.
Under the proposal, businesses must provide these kits for free or at a “reasonable amount based on the wholesale cost of those devices.”
“I get their point, but that’s not fair to put on the bar and restaurant. It should be your individual responsibility because you walked away from your drink,” Manley said.
Not leaving a drink unattended is just one of the things young girls learn growing up. It’s a way they can protect themselves from sexual violence.
“I mean, I grew up also learning even to keep my keys in my hand when I’m walking in a parking garage or also not leaving any beverages, and when I was in college alone, going somewhere with a girlfriend, you know, being very aware of your surroundings,” Barbara Ward said.
Ward is the Director of Development and Communications for YWCA Dayton. She said she supports this legislation becuase it’s just another tool to try to combat sexual violence.
The Ohio Domestic Violence Network said over a third of women in the United States and a quarter of men will experience sexual violence during their lives.
“At the end of the day, having these tools and having access to them only promotes the safety of patrons. But I also think that this is a cultural, a cultural conversation that we need to have around the safety of all people,” Ward said.
The CDC said lifetime statistics show across the country, 11 million women said they were raped while drunk, drugged, or high.
News Center 7 checked and found the date rape drug test online.
A pack of ten tests costs around $60.
The bill will be reviewed by the Senate next. If passed, it’ll move to the Ohio House before being sent to the governor.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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