Nashville council members push for date rape drug awareness

Members of the Metro Council are pushing to have every bar in Nashville certified as a "Safe Bar" to raise awareness over the dangers of date-rape drugs being slipped into drinks.

The effort comes after The Tennessean in October reported that nearly 25% of victims who received sexual assault exams at the Sexual Assault Center in Nashville this year believe they were drugged.

Staff at the center said they began tracking the numbers last year after they saw an alarming increase in people who said they were drugged while out at bars and nightclubs in the downtown area.

The center has a free program called Safe Bar, which educates staff at local bars and restaurants on their role in preventing sexual violence, but so far, only a handful of establishments around the city — and only one on tourist-packed Lower Broadway — have participated.

Council member Joy Styles, chair of the Metro Council Women's Caucus, said that's not enough.

"We want to see this program in all of our bars," she said. "We're here to push the needle and not let this go away in the dark."

On Wednesday, Women's Caucus members and staff from the Sexual Assault Center gathered for a community meeting at Lucky Duck Lounge — a Safe Bar certified bar in East Nashville — to talk about raising awareness. Members of the Metro Nashville Police Department were also in attendance.

Council member Erin Evans, chair of the public health and safety committee, said she and other council members hope that Nashville can serve as an example for the rest of the county by expanding the Safe Bar program with a major community effort.

And with a historic women majority now serving on the council, they have power to make it happen, she said.

"This is the starting point to create awareness," she said.

A national program, Safe Bar has been in Tennessee since 2018. To become “safe bar certified,” bar staff must participate in an annual a two-hour training that covers issues like how to identify and intervene in situations where there is a risk of sexual assault.

As part of the program, the bars get posters and other resources, such as special drink coasters that can detect ketamine and GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), two of the most common date-rape drugs.

The council earlier this year approved $75,000 in funding for the program and could consider more money in the near future.

Rachel Freeman, president of the Sexual Assault Center, said one bar reached out to her recently and said staff was able to identify a potential unsafe situation for patron thanks to the training. Freeman said the center is hoping to expand to hotels and Airbnbs for awareness.

The most common date-rape drugs are flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and ketamine.

The drugs can be slipped into someone's drink to increase the effects of intoxication. Signs in the body are similar to alcohol and can include nausea, dizziness, confusion and passing out.

For more information, visit the Sexual Assault Center at sacenter.org.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville council members push for date rape drug awareness