UBC scientists invent stir stick that detects drugs in drinks – CTV

March 28, 2025

A team of researchers at the University of British Columbia want to make a stir stick drug testing tool for spiked drinks the norm in the hospitality industry, and they’re gearing up to start “real-world testing” in hopes of commercializing the idea.

The device called “Spikeless” was developed in the university’s faculty of applied science, and the inventors hope for widespread adoption to combat drugs being added to drinks and to prevent sexual assaults.

The university said in a news release that the “seemingly ordinary stir stick” can detect drugs such as GHB and ketamine, changing colour if a beverage is contaminated.

Sasha Santos, an anti-violence activist working with the researchers on the project, said other drug testing tools are marketed to individuals in a problematic way.

“In the anti-violence sector, you know, there’s a lot of very strong feelings about people who are being targeted with violence being told that the burden of safety is on them, and that they have to buy more and do more to protect themselves constantly,” she said.

Read more: https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/ubc-scientists-invent-stir-stick-that-detects-drugs-in-drinks/