An Oakland, Calif.-based company will begin clinical trials early next year for a breathalyzer that could make it easier for police to test for marijuana intoxication on the spot, something that is not currently possible, according to CBS News.
"The idea is that law enforcement will have one device out on the road to test for both THC [a marijuana component] and alcohol," said Mike Lynn, CEO and founder of Hound Labs Inc., the company that worked with University of California, Berkeley scientists to create the device.
Current methods of marijuana testing measure tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels in the blood, urine or saliva and can determine whether the substance has been used in the recent days or weeks. However, this method is not an accurate way to measure real-time impairment.
The handheld device, which is set to be available to police and consumers for $1,000 or less, will be tested by law enforcement agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area, although Lynn hopes that it will eventually be used around the country.
"We plan to do clinical studies and also work with law enforcement on testing to make sure we have the exact device that's really needed out there on street," he said.
If the device does become widely used, more research will need to be conducted into the legal limits of THC in the body while driving, as it is currently a zero-tolerance policy, according to Gizmodo. While many acknowledge the fact that cannabis impairs cognitive function and psychomotor skills, further studies need to examine just how these impairments affect driving performance, Reuters noted.
"Right now the standards are completely arbitrary. I would argue that they are useless," said Lynn. "Our ability to measure THC in breath really should shift the national dialogue from one about simply detecting if THC is in someone's body to a conversation where standards can be developed that reflect actual impairment."
