Local News

Boston launches drink spiking prevention effort

As of Dec. 10, there have been 69 drink spiking incidents reported this year.

Bruno Postigo/stock.adobe.com

December 10, 2024

2 minutes to read

With concerns about drugged drinks on the rise in Boston, the Mayor’s Office is taking action, unveiling new resources for alcohol licensees.

The city’s Office of Nightlife Economy and Licensing Board recently announced a new initiative aimed to “protect the safety, security, health and welfare of patrons at licensed businesses throughout the city.”

Drink Spiking

The Mayor’s initiative comes after the Boston Police Department issued an alert in September warning residents to be aware of the dangers of spiked drinks ahead of the school year.

Scentless, colorless, and tasteless drugs such as Rohypnol (commonly referred to as roofies), GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid), and ketamine have been known to be placed in the drinks of unsuspecting victims, causing “disorientation, confusion, temporary paralysis, or unconsciousness,” police said.

As of Dec. 10, there have been 69 drink spiking incidents reported this year, according to data Boston.com obtained from the Boston Police Department.

In 2023, police said, there were a total of 108 incidents reported. However, these numbers only represent reported incidents, leaving out those that go unreported by victims.

The Mayor’s program, first announced in October, establishes new resources for liquor license holders upon request, according to a statement from the office.

The preventative measures include in-person environmental safety trainings and access to drink covers to prevent non-consensual drugging.

The initiative, started last month, allows approximately 1,400 out of the city’s 3,000 licensed premises that hold licenses to sell alcoholic beverages to request up to 1,000 drink covers to offer to their patrons, the statement said.

So far, the office has received 42 requests from license holders across the city, a spokesperson for Mayor Michelle Wu told Boston.com.

The covers, manufactured by StopTopps, are single-use, 100mm aluminum foils with food- and hygiene- approved glue to securely stick on the top of cups to prevent unwanted substances from mixing with the beverage inside the container.

Additionally, the City is providing trainings on Drink Spiking Prevention, Stop the Bleed, Naloxone Administration, De-escalation, CPR, and Identifying Fake IDs to licensees and their staff.

“In order to build a safe, fun, and responsible nightlife scene in our community, we have been grateful for the partnership with the Office of Nightlife Economy to make these resources available for our license holders,” a City of Boston Licensing Board spokesperson said in a statement to Boston.com. “We hope that businesses will continue to work alongside the City to protect patrons across all neighborhoods.”