Stir Stick to Detect if Your Drink Is Spiked Developed by Chemists Hoping to See Them on Every Bar Top

After 12 years of research and development, a team of Canadian chemists has created what could be the ultimate tool for detecting if your drink has been spiked.

More discreet and accurate than anything else on the market, the simple, innocuous-looking drink stir comes with a tip that will change color if exposed to any of the common drugs used by predatory bargoers.

Called Spikeless, the stirrer was envisioned by a team of brothers at the University of British Columbia and can detect common drink spiking drugs like GHB and ketamine, which are otherwise odorless and tasteless, within 30 seconds.

Dr. Johan Foster, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, and his brother, Andrew, came up with the idea in 2012 and predicted the tool could be carried around with one’s phone, wallet, and keys, or provided by venues upon request.

“Anywhere there’s a bar—clubs, parties, festivals—there’s a risk,” said Samin Yousefi, a UBC master’s student in chemical and biological engineering and the device’s co-inventor alongside the Fosters.

“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.”

The tool still requires approval from Health Canada, and the inventors haven’t come up with any mass-manufacturing process for it yet.

Global News, a Canadian news outlet reporting on the invention, quoted one expert in the field of sexual abuse and violence, Sasha Santos, who said that providing defense solutions and education, while also leaving the onus to prevent such predation entirely on the individual, hasn’t worked to reduce rates of incidents involving spiked drinks.

by Andy Corbley | April 2, 2025 | Good News Network

Return to Main Page