Interesting history - thanks. My 4th edition paperback copy of "Hugo Cornwall's New Hacker's Handbook" by Steve Gold from 1989 is sitting right behind me on the shelf.
I never found this to be a problem. My teenage son and I would have blowpipe fights with the straws and left over pearls. The neat thing was you couldn't say "Ha, you missed!" because they would stick to you and you could then pull them off and re-sue them as ammo.
Depending on where you are are drinking your bubble tea this may not be culturally appropriate though.