Bioplastic could make drink spiking a thing of the past

In Canada, researchers at the University of British Columbia have invented a drink stirrer with a bioplastic tip that can detect whether a drink has been spiked with date-rape drugs such as gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and ketamine. In less than 30 seconds, the tip will change color in the presence of the otherwise tasteless and odorless drugs.

“Anywhere there’s a bar … there’s a risk,” co-inventor Samin Yousefi, a UBC master’s student in chemical and biological engineering, told Pubtic.  Lead researcher Dr. Johan Foster and his team took three years to make the prototype, and real-world testing will begin soon. A startup to commercialize Spikeless is also in its early stages.