In California, a marijuana breath tester was created for the police.

A California company said it created the first marijuana breath test that police can use to determine if there are drugs in their drivers.

Photo: Depositpahotos

As more and more states legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use, law enforcement officials are alarmed that people get behind the wheel while under the influence of substances, writes Newsweek. Until now, American police have not had any portable means for ascertaining the use of cannabis by detained drivers.

They relied largely on field sobriety tests, designed to suspect alcohol use, and personal observations, which could be false. But Oakland-based Hound Labs aims to make testing for marijuana use as easy as testing for alcohol.

"We're trying to strike a balance between the feasibility of allowing marijuana and safety," says Mike Lynn, executive director of NPR. His company has developed a breath test to detect the presence of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in a person's body, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

“This is a disposable cartridge. And it’s chock-full of science,” Lynn explains as she shows reporters the product. The company says the cartridge can detect marijuana use within the last two hours, which many experts consider the peak time for the full spectrum of THC's effects in a person.

“When you detect THC in the breath, you can say with a high degree of certainty that the person has smoked weed within the last couple of hours,” Lynn says. “And we don’t want people driving on the roads and, for example, working at a construction site during this time.”

Nine states legalized marijuana for recreational use, and medicinal cannabis was authorized in the 31 state. A dozen or more diseases and conditions allow the use of the drug in certain medical conditions. In several states, the legalization process is happening now and the issue will be resolved by the end of the year, which makes this situation a serious problem for police officers across the country.

According to an August 2017 report from The Denver Post, the number of drivers testing positive for marijuana involved in fatal crashes in Colorado is rising every year—and has doubled in the past five years. The state voted to legalize marijuana in November 2012, and it became legal for recreational use in January 2014.

But industry analysts argue that these data are inaccurate, because they rely only on blood tests.

“Unlike alcohol, THC can be detected in the bloodstream for days or even weeks, while traces of many substances disappear within a couple of hours,” says Taylor West, former deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “What these numbers really tell us is that many people are using cannabis and then driving a car.”

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