New legislation will be introduced which aims to target the growing numbers of people falling victim to being spiked.
Following a debate in the Seanad earlier today, the punishment for anybody caught spiking someone's drink could now see them face a lengthy prison sentence.
Depending on the effects on any potential victim, a sentence could grow to as large as ten years.
Senator Mary Seery Kearney has outlined what the bill is aiming to achieve.
She said: "Precise nature of what is in the legislation is that it is to administer it, to inject or cause somebody to take a substance without consent, with the intention to overpower them."
According to the Irish Independent, punishment will be placed upon anybody who would spike someone so they can "overpower or sedate" a person to "engage in a sexual act, cause harm, or otherwise commit an offence".
There was an alarming rise in cases of spiking in Ireland last year, with over 100 reported incidents.
Justice Minister Simon Harris has advised his colleagues that 75 cases of spiking were recorded on the Garda PULSE system in the first nine months of last year.
This varied from drugs being placed into people's drinks or even injected into unaware victims.
Wexford woman's social media post previously went viral
A Wexford woman had previously shared a post online which detailed her experience of 'needle spiking'.
It was described as a 'potential horror story', and she thanked the bar staff for their help as the incident unfolded.
The individual outlined how she collapsed during the evening, lost consciousness and developed severe nausea and sweating.
She explained that she found a blood dot on her dress that matched the location of a small bruise with a red prick mark on the outside of her leg.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website Beat102103.com.
