Spiking someone's drink, or by needle can result in a three-year prison term.
(Source: www.pixabay.com)An annual public awareness campaign on spiking would raise awareness of the offence, but also the punishment that's carried with it.
Of the 147 reported incidents of spiking since January 2021, 60 were needle-related while 66 were drink-related.
Junior Minister Josepha Madigan says it's vital people keep an eye out for spiking as people celebrate this festive season:
'It's really important that we have an information campaign that could encourage vigilance among people working in the nightlife industry and the Garda Siochana and the general public of the dangers and the signs if spiking , so some of the signs might be somebody might be unusually drunk, their vision might be blurred or they feel dizzy or nauseous , they might have difficulty speaking of keeping their balance.'
