Will Jones
Image Credit: Gary Green
For years, we were told that to prevent drink spiking, we needed to stay alert, keep our drinks out of sight, avoid accepting drinks from strangers, and stay close to our friends. While these precautions are useful, they also place almost all the responsibility on the person who could become a victim.
CounterSpike approached the problem from a different angle by asking what prevention could look like if bars, clubs, festivals, universities, and other institutions also played a role.
The company was co-founded by Gary Green and Mark Akred, with Green bringing more than three decades of experience across building services, real estate, professional sports, and media, fields that may seem far removed from drink-spiking prevention.
Green founded Alliance Building Services at 26 and grew it into one of the largest privately held building services companies in North America. He later moved into the sports industry, where he became involved in the ownership and management of professional baseball and soccer teams.
However, his interest in drink spiking began outside the business world. As the father of three daughters, Green started paying closer attention to the problem and the way it is usually addressed. He brought the issue into the same problem-solving mindset that has shaped his career, looking at how existing approaches could be improved and what new systems could help prevent, detect, and deter drink spiking.
CounterSpike brings those efforts together through detection products, education, training, and technology. Its first product is SpikeStixx, a disposable, biodegradable strip designed to identify the possible presence of certain substances used to spike drinks within seconds.
The process is designed to be simple and discreet. The user places a small sample of the drink on the yellow area of the strip and waits approximately 20 seconds. If the area turns dark orange, the result indicates possible tampering.
According to CounterSpike, the strips react to certain substances containing amines, including ketamine, Rohypnol, amphetamines, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, and MDMA. The company presents the product as a tool that can be used quickly in bars, at parties and concerts, and during other social gatherings.
The company also runs educational and training programs for schools, universities, festivals, and nightlife venues. Its programs are designed to raise awareness of drink spiking and equip staff, students, and patrons with the knowledge and tools to spot and prevent it.
The issue is particularly relevant in California. Since July 2024, bars and nightclubs with Type 48 licenses have been required to offer devices that detect substances commonly used in drink spiking, either free of charge or at a reasonable price. The measure applies to approximately 2,400 establishments and requires them to display visible notices informing customers that the tests are available, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
CounterSpike has also announced an app, which is still in development, that would allow users to preselect the friends they are going out with and save emergency contact information for the venue or festival. If an incident occurs, the user could send their location, the time, and an alert to the selected contacts. The proposal also includes connections with support organizations and the collection of information that could help authorities and emergency services better understand where and how these incidents occur.
For CounterSpike, the challenge will be ensuring that the approach does not depend solely on selling individual test strips. Asking people to test their own drinks still leaves them with some of the responsibility the company wants to redistribute. The project’s true reach will depend on making tests accessible, ensuring that venue staff are properly trained, and creating a rapid and coordinated response when incidents occur.
Follow CounterSpike on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about its drink spiking prevention tools, educational work, and latest updates.