A New Study Suggests An Effective Replacement For Marijuana Breathalyzers

Marijuana breathalyzers have long been in development, producing no fruitful results. A new study shows a different path.

 Blood or saliva THC levels found to be poor sign of driving impairment

A new meta-study, led by researchers from the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative, has concluded blood or saliva THC concentrations are not effective ways to measure cannabis-induced driving impairment.

 Brain scans could replace breathalyzers to catch stoned drivers

A new study led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital has identified a pattern of brain activity that seems to correlate with impairment from cannabis intoxication. The researchers suggest this novel brain-based biomarker could be a way to accurately measure THC impairment.

 Breathalyzers and brain caps: Researchers race to devise a roadside test for driving while high

As more and more states legalize marijuana, scientists and entrepreneurs are rushing to devise a Breathalyzer for pot — something more objective than officers’ observations of people as they drive, and then as they attempt the walk-turn and the one-leg stand.

 Can a breath test smoke out stoned drivers?

Can a breath test smoke out stoned drivers? As more US states legalise marijuana use, the race is on to find a drug version of the roadside breathalyser

 Study: Sure Looks Like ‘Marijuana Breathalyzers’ Don’t Work—And May Never Work

Unless there’s a scientific breakthrough to find a biometric that indicates intoxication that’s currently unknown, marijuana breathalyzers may never work.

 The Marijuana Breathalyzer’s Uncertain Future

The test could help reduce the number of intoxicated drivers on the road—or it could turn up too many false positives to be useful.

THC Breathalyzers May Be Coming Soon, To A Police Station Near You

The Hound does not measure how stoned a person is. The existence of THC in the breath is considered proof enough that the person is stoned at the time of testing, according to Hound Labs.

A Single Breathalyzer For Both Weed And Booze

Experts agree that marijuana impairs drivers, though not as much as alcohol does. But what concentration of THC makes a driver legally impaired? That’s a question still very much open for debate,

Driving Under the Influence, of Marijuana

Some researchers say that limited resources are better applied to continuing to reduce drunken driving. Stoned driving, they say, is simply less dangerous. Still, it is clear that marijuana use causes deficits that affect driving ability, Dr. Huestis said.

Healthcare Triage: Marijuana, Intoxication, DWI, and Breathalyzers

Breathalyzers for alcohol work on principles that don’t necessarily work for pot. And they’ve been extensively researched, which is difficult to do with federal controls on marijuana.

How Much Is Too Much Marijuana to Drive? Lawmakers Wonder

“There is no concentration of the drug that allows us to reliably predict that someone is impaired behind the wheel in the way that we can with alcohol,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy and research.

Marijuana breathalyzer technology is here, and it’s coming for drivers

However, unlike alcohol where a driver is considered impaired at a certain level (.08) in Pennsylvania, there is no level set yet in the state in which a driver is considered impaired on marijuana. Pitt researchers said, many more studies need to be done to reach a conclusion on impairment when it comes to THC, the component in marijuana that gives a high.

Marijuana Breathalyzers Are on the Road to Becoming Reality

Whereas urine tests detect the presence of marijuana up to a month after impairment subsides, and blood tests up to three weeks, breath tests have the shortest detection window of up to just two or three hours after smoking. It’s an important distinction for law enforcement, who could in theory use a positive result as evidence of driving under the influence.

Scientists Unveil Weed Breathalyzer, Launching Debate Over Next Steps

But without a comprehensive understanding of the correlation between that amount and the driver's level of impairment, the device may not be particularly useful to police. On top of that hurdle, there's the legal question of what level is safe for driving, which may be hard to answer. It took American courts several decades to settle on today's blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.08%.

The Weed Breathalyzer Is Coming

As legal weed becomes a reality, researchers, startups, and law enforcement are racing to figure out how to test for THC intoxication.

We Need a DUI Test for Marijuana

Barring confession, there’s no way to tell if a driver is high.

Why Stoners Should Want to Implement the New Weed Breathalyzer

So what’s a responsible stoner to do about the looming threat of an accurate field test for stoned driving? Go with it. Make that tiny sacrifice and stop being stoned while driving, and at the same time push for a field test that's even more accurate...