Coming Soon: A Pot Breathalyzer

With marijuana legalization continuing, it was only a matter of time before there was an ability to test via a breathalyzer.

Canadian company Cannabix will be the likely winner, given that it has a prototype device now being tested that can detect the presence of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Another contender is Lifeloc, based in Colorado, whose chief executive cautions that the first versions of these devices will be relatively primitive. “I think the first breathalyzer on the market will be a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for the presence of THC at the time of the test, and in that sense it won’t provide a quantitative evidential measure,” says Barry Knott.

In other words, the devices will be able to tell a police officer if you’ve got marijuana in your system, but not if you’re actually impaired. Medical Daily notes that “not enough is known yet about exactly how much is needed to impair driving abilities,” and thus there’s much confusion and inconsistency among states trying to impose such laws.Engadget echoes that, predicting that “until both the science and policy surrounding cannabis advance beyond their present states, don’t expect these devices to be entered into evidence in your DUI case anytime soon.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.