Canadian chemists perfect stirring stick that shields bar patrons from spiked drinks

One of the first things a person is taught when they start going to bars or clubs is to make sure you keep an eye on their drink at all times. Why? To make sure no one messes with it when you aren’t looking to drug you. After over ten years of conceptualization and testing, scientists at the University of British Columbia have developed a product that can make drinking out at bars much safer: a stirring stick that can detect whether cocktails have been spiked.

Spikeless looks like a regular stirring stick for drinks but can detect gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), ketamine, and other drugs typically used to spike drinks. In just 30 seconds, the stick’s chemical-coated bioplastic tip will change color if it detects drugs in the drink, alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike. This can prevent people from ingesting anything other than the promised alcohol.

Criminals tend to spike drinks in order to put people in an advanced state of intoxication in which they can be easily robbed or sexually assaulted. Spiked drinks have become a growing problem throughout the globe, but the statistics of how often drinks get spiked vary from the U.S., U.K., Australia, and other countries since they often go underreported and surveys not being taken regularly. This can partially be due to the victims not knowing or remembering if they were drugged. However, while drink spiking is a common concern to everyone, the majority of the victims of spiked drinks tend to be college-aged women at bars, clubs, and parties.

GHB and ketamine are commonly used to spike drinks because they are tasteless and odorless, making it impossible to detect with human senses when mixed into a beverage. Using a stirring stick that can detect those drugs can help prevent such incidences of sexual assault. Since 2011, groups have been trying to create this concept in a fashion that’s accurate, convenient, and doesn’t ruin the taste of the drink. Being that it’s a small item, a tool like Spikeless can easily be carried in a purse or pocket, or bars themselves can offer them to patrons as a courtesy.

“Anywhere there’s a bar — clubs, parties, festivals — there’s a risk,” said co-inventor Samin Yousefi to Global News Canada. “People have tried cups, coasters, straws, even nail polish to detect these drugs. Our device is more discreet than existing alternatives and doesn’t contaminate the drink.”

For now, Spikeless still needs to be further tested and approved by Health Canada, and likely would need FDA approval in the United States before it can be widely distributed. However, while Spikeless isn’t on the market yet, there are some ways to help better prevent your drink from being spiked when you’re out at the bar. For example, if you’re out with friends, have them keep an eye on your drink if you aren’t in full view of it to use the restroom, ordering food from the bar, etc.

You can also place a drink coaster or some form of top on your drink to deter some drink spikers. While this doesn’t outright seal the top of your drink, it makes slipping a drug into your drink look less discreet and more obvious to folks around the bar. At the same time, if you notice someone messing with someone else’s drink, you can also be vocal about it and report it, too.

Also, avoid accepting drinks that aren’t straight from the bartender or wait staff. If you accept one from the hand of a stranger, you wouldn’t know what could have been done to it before it was handed off to you.

Stay safe and drink in good health.