We’ve talked in-depth about the dangers of spiked drinks in the past. In Seattle, it’s become something of an epidemic, with The Stranger polling 10 separate people who were victimized just this summer. Local bar and nightlife spot Chop Suey is looking to solve that problem with a brilliantly simple solution: Free drug testing strips, courtesy of your bartender.
“You do a little straw test on there, wait a minute, when it turns dark blue that’s a positive. If there’s no read or it’s a slightly different color because it’s wet, that means there’s nothing in there.” –Chop Suey co-owner Brianna Rettig
The strips provided by the bar are able to test for Ketamine and GHB (one of the more common date rape drugs), and are available for anyone who asks, free-of-charge. And while it’s entirely up to you to test your drink yourself, it’s a much-needed solution to what’s becoming an all too common problem.
The testing strips are just one piece of the puzzle for Chop Suey, who are also enacting an across-the-board bussing policy for unattended drinks. “Yeah, we’re bussing everything,” Rettig tells KIRO’s Rachel Belle, noting how “people get upset that we take their drinks. But I’d rather they be upset that they didn’t get a drink rather than get drugged.”
The original inspiration for the idea actually came from fellow Capitol Hill spot Bar Sue, who also keep testing strips on-site for their own patrons. With Chop Suey following suit, we can only hope that more local nightlife establishments adopt similar policies, both for the safety of their customers, and the goal of eliminating the risk of spiked drinks entirely.
(H/T: MyNorthwest.com)
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
