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Lawmakers propose bill to require bars, restaurants to provide ‘date rape drug testing’ in Ohio

OHIO — Some state lawmakers are pushing to put date rape drug testing kits in Ohio bars and restaurants.

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As reported on News Center 7 Daybreak, 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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If the bill passes, businesses would have to provide these kits for free or at a reasonable cost for customers.

Mackenzie Manley owns Mack’s Tavern in Centerville. She said bars should not have to pick up the cost for these kits.

“We’re trying to keep the lights on like everybody else in Ohio and across the United States,” she said. “So, that’s just a cost that we don’t have.”

Barbara Ward is the Director of Development and Communications for the YWCA of Dayton.

She told our news crew that she supports the bill because it’s another tool to try to stop sexual violence.

“At the end of the day, having these tools and having access to them only promotes the safety of patrons,” said Ward. “But I also think that this is a cultural, a cultural conversation that we need to have around the safety of all people.”

The bill still must pass the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House before being sent to the governor.

We will continue to follow this story.

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