Czechia to criminalize drink spiking as MPs back 10 year prison terms

Secretly adding drugs to another person’s drink could become a specific criminal offense in Czechia under legislation backed by the Chamber of Deputies in its first reading Thursday.

The proposal targets “drink spiking,” but would also cover placing an intoxicating substance in food or administering one by injection without the person’s knowledge or consent.

The bill has not yet become law. It will now be examined by the lower house’s constitutional and legal affairs committee before returning to lawmakers for further debate and a final vote.

Supporters say current legislation makes prosecution difficult when authorities cannot prove that the drugging led to another offense, such as rape, robbery, bodily harm or death.

“The victim unfortunately often remembers nothing,” Sports Minister Boris Šťastný of the Motorists, one of the bill’s sponsors, told lawmakers.

Pirate MP Kateřina Demetrashvili said substances associated with spiking can leave the body quickly, making incidents difficult to document and prosecute.

Under the proposal, secretly administering an addictive or intoxicating substance would carry a basic sentence of up to one year in prison.

The maximum penalty would increase to three years if the offender intended to facilitate another crime. A perpetrator could receive up to eight years if the victim suffered serious injury and up to 10 years if the incident resulted in death.

STAN lawmaker Julie Smejkalová described the amendment as a step in the right direction, saying everyone should have a state-protected right to make decisions about their own body.

Former Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil of TOP 09 said legal experts had long identified spiking as a problem inadequately addressed by the existing criminal code.

The bill’s sponsors said spiking represents a serious violation of a person’s freedom to make decisions. Offenders may seek to render a victim defenseless before committing a sexual or property crime, or may administer a substance to humiliate them.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, ANO parliamentary group leader Taťána Malá and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Tomio Okamura are among the coalition politicians supporting the proposal.

A survey presented by the organization Beat Sexism at a government roundtable in March 2025 found that one-third of young respondents had encountered spiking.

Victims were overwhelmingly women, according to the organization, and incidents were often not reported. Bars, nightclubs and pubs were the most commonly cited settings, although cases also occurred at private parties.

Substances used in reported incidents include GHB, sometimes referred to as liquid ecstasy, as well as ketamine and Rohypnol. Their effects can include disorientation, memory loss, weakness and unconsciousness.

No comprehensive official statistics are available. Beat Sexism has estimated that Prague alone could see hundreds of incidents annually, though the absence of reporting and rapid disappearance of some substances make the true scale difficult to establish.