--- title: "This Edible QR Tag Looks like a Big Ol’ Hit of Acid" description: "A new \"edible QR code\" can determine whether or not you're drinking counterfeit liquor — but it looks a whole lot like a hit of acid.  " date: "2022-06-06" modified: "2022-06-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/edible-qr-tag" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "edible technology" - "lsd" - "psychedelics" - "qr codes" --- # This Edible QR Tag Looks like a Big Ol’ Hit of Acid ![A new "edible QR code" can determine whether or not you're drinking counterfeit liquor — but it looks a whole lot like a hit of acid.  ]() *The days of fake whiskey could be numbered, thanks to a team of biomedical engineers from Purdue University and South Korea. The team, led by Young Kim, associate head for research and an associate professor in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, has developed an QR code on an edible silk tag that manufacturers can place in bottles of whiskey. Consumers can use a smartphone app to confirm the whiskey’s authenticity. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood) \Image: Purdue\* A new "edible QR code" that aims to determine whether you're drinking counterfeit liquor bears a striking resemblance to the preferred dosing method of the world's most famous psychedelic drug. As Purdue University notes in a [press release]() about the tech, the edible smartphone-scannable QR tag is supposed to show that high quality spirits haven't been tampered with. But to the untrained eye, the square-shaped fluorescent silk tags look a whole lot like a large hit of lysergic acid diethylamide, better known by its acronym LSD, or its street name, "acid." The joint study between Purdue and the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences in South Korea was [published in the journal *ACS Central Science*](), and although the tech is certainly interesting, it's hard to get too excited about busting alcohol counterfeiting now that we're almost 90 years out from the end of Prohibition. Also worth noting: it's not necessarily the best idea to normalize putting things into peoples' drinks in bars, considering that [drink-spiking is back on the rise](). Much like acid, Purdue said that the silk QR tag doesn't affect the taste of the liquor it's put into, though one would expect it not to produce the same wiggly-wobbly effects of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." According to Purdue, the same tech could also help detect fake pharmaceuticals. For now, sure, maybe booze snobs will appreciate soon be able to suss out whether that $50 pour of whiskey is worth the money. But we'll probably be sticking with the well shots. **READ MORE:** [An edible QR code takes a shot at fake whiskey]() \[Purdue University\] **More edible tech:** *[Swallow a Small Device and It'll Scrape Your Gut for Signs of Trouble]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()