BOSTON — Suspected victims of drugged drinks testified on Beacon Hill in support of a bill that would mandate standard testing protocol and a uniform standard of care for victims in Massachusetts.
Those who believe their drinks were spiked typically cannot be tested at hospitals in most cases unless they believe they’ve been sexually assaulted.
A hearing that happened Wednesday before the Joint Committee on Public Health aims to change that by the end of the year.
S1537, “An act safeguarding victims of illicit drink spiking”, would also set up a more concrete framework to hold the people accused of spiking drinks accountable.
Without standard testing, police usually aren’t notified and aren’t able to complete a thorough investigation.
“I was denied the right to have a drug test because of the fact that I was not sexually assaulted,” said Ella MacDuff, who testified at the hearing.
MacDuff told Boston 25 News the traumatic experience that began at a Boston bar got worse at the hospital.
“The doctor specifically said I was just drunk, and I needed to sleep it off, and they wouldn’t give me a drug test,” said MacDuff. “I don’t want anybody to feel they are alone or dismissed.”
Boston 25 News has reported on criticism surrounding limited drug and alcohol testing in Massachusetts for several years.
Senator Paul Feeney has made it his mission to change that.
He applauds those who testified at Wednesday’s hearing.
“Because of their courage and your reporting, we’re going to be saving people’s lives,” said Senator Feeney, who represents the Bristol and Norfolk district. “We’ve seen an alarming increase over the last couple of years.”
Hospital officials previously told Boston 25 News that determining what substance may have been involved in these cases is tricky.
The tasteless drugs often used to incapacitate victims usually don’t show up in extensive screenings unless they’re tested for right away.
“A victim of drink spiking is playing Russian roulette where they end up whether they get anything done,” said Dr. George Clairmont, a retired primary care physician.
Dr. Clairmont testified about the experience his daughter, a young mother of two, endured at a South Shore restaurant.
He said she wandered outside in 14-degree weather without a coat or cell phone after sipping on a drink.
“Only by the grace of God did somebody notice her leave, and they found her over a railing over a harbor, that if she had fallen into, I may have never seen her again,” he told Boston 25 News.
Senator Feeney is hoping that the brave testimony that happened early in the session will help push the House bill forward through the Senate and onto the floor so that it can be passed into law.
He wants the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to step in and mandate that hospitals do this testing.
Boston 25 News reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for comment and has not yet heard back.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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