this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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UBC Engineers Develop Stir Stick to Detect GHB & Spiked Drinks in Seconds (www.youtube.com)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Related article: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ubc-stir-stick-detects-spiked-drinks-seconds

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Is this one of those "my first chemistry project" kinda things? I swear I have heard of heaps of these kind of things coming out of unis, and nothing about this seems different to all the ones from ages ago.

Edit: existing product: https://www.amazon.com/DrinkCheck-Spiking-Escape-Spiking-Personal/dp/B0D1VGWJFG

Highschoolers from 8 years ago: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/05/27/whats-in-your-drink-the-straw-that-can-detect-date-rape-drugs/

Also 2017, and a commercial product: https://www.cnet.com/culture/this-straw-is-smart-enough-to-detect-date-rape-drugs/

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

While I still can't say this is novel, this other article mentions that the goal is to make it cheap enough that venues can have enough for every drink that they serve and to put the responsibility on venues rather than the user

"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.

"The idea is that it'll be completely ubiquitous," she said. "Every drink leaving the bar will have a stick in it. Every drink will be stirred, every drink will be tested, every drink will be safe."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-stir-stick-spiked-drinks-1.7495753

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

From the 3rd link:

The team is in the process of speaking with a large manufacturer to bring Smart Straws to the market, Baigorri said, and plan to make it "very affordable and cheap enough to dispose."

Laudible goal, but I do wonder why other teams failed. The bulk price (on amazon) seems to be about $2.30 each, which definitely isnt super cheap.

The downside of "every drink gets a stick" is that it becomes much easier for a would-be rapist to replace the stick with a fake at the same time as inserting the drug. If you cant trust the integrity of the drink, you can't trust the stick either.

I wonder if having a "Free drink replacement, no questions asked" policy might be easier/cheaper answer. If you think your drink was tampered with, return it to the bar for a replacement. Bar can increase their prices a bit to cover the wasted drinks.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

tl;dw? How much do these cost?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

I couldn't find an exact number, but the goal seems to be to make it cheap

Santos says targeting the hospitality industry at large, including bars, pubs, clubs and other party venues where drinks flow freely, means patrons can have access to a simple drug testing tool for "every cocktail on every table."

"The idea is that it'll be completely ubiquitous," she said. "Every drink leaving the bar will have a stick in it. Every drink will be stirred, every drink will be tested, every drink will be safe."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-stir-stick-spiked-drinks-1.7495753