A California company claims that it is close to developing the first-ever accurate and portable marijuana breathalyzer that can measure levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The existing "driving while stoned" tests require a blood or urine sample to check for activities such as smoking a pot joint, but the new device would make it faster and easier to detect high and drunk drivers at police checkpoints. Other companies are also developing a cannabis breathalyzer, but Hound Labs believes its handheld product will be the first one.
Current cannabis tests only reveal if a person has used marijuana in recent days or weeks. It does not show that the driver is unable to operate a vehicle safely.
The Oakland-based company has not provided many details about the new breath-based tech. It will take very precise THC readings, but will be unable to detect pot edibles such as brownies, cookies, and gummies.
Hound will begin clinical trials for its weed breathalyzer next year. It will be teaming up with the University of California (UC) at Berkeley, San Francisco General Hospital, and the city of San Francisco.
However, one X-factor is that a breath-test alone will not bring marijuana up-to-par with alcohol's standards for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).
In particular, no legal limits for THC exist, according to Gizmodo. There is also little scientific data that would help to make guidelines for them.
Hound Labs has reported that the cost of each cannabis breathalyzer would have a price tag of about $1,000, according to CBS San Francisco. It is about the same price as an average alcohol breathalyzer.
This video explains what THC is: