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Breath test to detect pot is being developed at WSU

Breath test to detect pot is being developed at WSU
BY MELISSA SANTOS
Staff writer, The News Tribune
November 28, 2014


A team at Washington State University is working to develop a breath test that could quickly determine whether a driver is under the influence of marijuana.

Law enforcement officers already use preliminary breath tests in the field to estimate drivers’ blood alcohol content. But no similar portable tool exists to test for marijuana impairment via a breath sample.

Stoned drivers have become an increasing concern since Washington voters legalized recreational use of marijuana in 2012. A quarter of blood samples taken from drivers in 2013, the first full year the initiative was in effect, came back positive for pot.

WSU chemistry professor Herbert Hill said that existing technologies — including those already used by airport security and customs agents to detect drugs and explosives — can be re-purposed to test breath for THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana.

Hill said he and WSU doctoral student Jessica Tufariello are working on a handheld device that uses a technique called ion mobility spectrometry to detect THC in someone’s breath.

Right now, officers and prosecutors rely on blood tests to determine how much active THC is present in a driver’s blood. Those test results aren’t immediately available to patrol officers who suspect someone is driving high.

Initiative 502 set 5 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood as the legal limit at which a driver is automatically determined to be impaired.

Initially, the marijuana breath test under development at WSU probably won’t be able to pinpoint the level of THC in the body; it will only tell officers that some active THC is present, Hill said.

Still, Hill said such a tool could prove helpful to officers as they decide whether to arrest a suspected impaired driver.

“We believe at least initially that it would lower the false positives that an officer would have,” Hill said. “They would have a higher level of confidence in making an arrest.”

Law enforcement agencies still would have to obtain follow-up test results to use as evidence in court, just as they do following a positive preliminary breath test for alcohol impairment.

Hill said he and and his research team plan to finish laboratory tests with a prototype marijuana breath test this year, then start testing human breath between January and June of 2015.

After that, the researchers plan to test a version of the device out in the field, he said.

Some lawmakers at a Nov. 21 meeting of the Senate Law & Justice Committee appeared impressed by the research.

“WSU is going to be at the forefront, it seems to me, of supplying this kind of science and the technology that’s based on it to police all over the country,” said Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle.

Bob Calkins, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol, said the agency would “welcome anything that will help us get impaired drivers off the road.”

He said the State Patrol wouldn’t want to use any new technology until it is fully developed, though.

“It needs to be rock solid before we’ll adopt it,” Calkins said.

Some state officials have expressed concern about increasing numbers of drivers testing positive for marijuana impairment since the drug was legalized in Washington.

In 2012, 18.6 percent of blood samples taken from suspected impaired drivers in Washington tested positive for active THC, according to the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory.

That number rose to 25 percent of tested blood samples statewide in 2013, the first year I-502 was in effect.

This article was found here:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/...detect-pot-is-being.html?sp=/99/296/331/&rh=1
 

Egzoset

Banned
Salutations HerbMeister,

Breath test...

Ah, "breath". Well for a split-second i thought i was reading "breast" since a few weeks ago they warned on national TV about growing tits:

J'les vois allumer quand j'parle, euh... de... d'augmentation d'la masse mammaire chez les garçons, de savoir ça, qu'y a une suppression donc qu'ça peut amener une... une poussée des seins chez les garçons - ce qu'on appelle la gynécomastie - ou à la limite une diminution d'la quantité de spermatozoïdes qu'y produisent... C'est quelque chose d'intéressant à savoir...

Approximate english translation:

I see them light up when i talk about, euh... larger breasts for boys, as knowing this, that there's some {testosterone/hormonal?} suppression which could cause this... a growth of tits in teenagers - that's called gynecomastia - or ultimately a lesser genesis of spermatozoïds... Which is good to know...

:o

On the land of Harper, in the name of children.

:peace:
 

Dramma Lamma

Looks like a job for!
On one had stuff like this is nice in getting the public to accept bud into society more as it puts it on a more fair playing feild for DUI laws and that's a good thing.

But on the other hand I 100% ensure you that profiling of "stoner types" will go up once police have a new tool that holds the potential to bust said people in their belts.
 

herbivore21

Well-Known Member
This is an incredibly fraught avenue of research. First of all, established research has shown that an individual who is a regular, heavy cannabis user is no more likely to be in an accident than if they were sober - whereas someone who does not use cannabis heavily or frequently is twice as likely to have an accident as sober, whilst someone who is around the legal limit of blood alcohol to drive is 6 times more likely to have an accident than if they were sober.

All this says to me is that:
A) Cannabis is not necessarily a hindrance to driving.
B) Alcohol at levels legally allowed for drivers in many parts of the world is significantly more risky for drivers.
C) How can we possibly arrive at a single legal limit for THC (especially given that THC is not the only psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis anyway!) that can be reasonably expected to ensure that people can still drive when not mentally effected by cannabis?

EDIT: @Egzoset I just realized that French could well be your first language after having browsed the French language FC section and seen other posts of yours written in French. I then realized that the term 'salutations' (which you begin your posts with usually and which I was always interested by as this is an unusually formal way to greet somebody in English) is the translation of how you start your posts written in French. Fascinating! Kudos on being able to communicate so effectively on some particularly technical topics in multiple languages by the way! :D
 
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Egzoset

Banned
Salutations Herbivore21,

This is an incredibly fraught avenue of research.

That's one of those words i'm not sure what it means but i gathered it's equivalent to "twisted" and hence i'd have to agree on that!

:nod:

...whilst someone who is around the legal limit of blood alcohol...

To me the research serves best those with more agendas than just being opposed to having drivers under cannabis "influence" on the roads. It's a difficult issue as i fail to see a clear solution to it myself, then you've raised valid points when it comes to the effects of THC consumption and more. On one side there's a possibility for abuse and that word alone already rings a bell in my mind (...), knowing all too well this is an argument used against us quite often. Now what about multiple intoxications? Etc.

:uhoh:

On another hand i certainly don't share the views of prohibitionists who like to picture us as irresponsible anti-social "addicts" who can only care for their own pleasure at any cost, whatever; i keep thinking there are medicinal/recreational users much safer than many people doped by prescription pills, etc.

...

Still, in view of constant police abuse across North America one has to be concerned when reading they're about to get a new "marihuana" detector, to support more civil asset forfeiture for example (!), which can be quite hard to dispute for a majority of their favourite target people as it is...

:rant:

How can we possibly arrive at a single legal limit for THC (especially given that THC is not the only psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis anyway!) that can be reasonably expected to ensure that people can still drive when not mentally effected by cannabis?

Big question without the begining of an answer! :worms:

Especially with the new considerations emerging: e.g. CBDs and possibly more! Not to mention i suspect some users may even prove to be made more suitable drivers with an altered mental status, i'm thinking of those with PTSD as this reminds me of Ronald Francis somehow, deceased by suicide in a shocking context that resulted from the RCMP's ideological preference not to trust an experienced corporal officer after he was seen smoking legal medical "pot": any depressive individual could have chosen to take other lives with his own, on the road, because of unaddressed PTSD symptoms i suppose.

Meanwhile in Québec we're about to have Operation Red Nose advertised on every TV channel...



Volunteer drivers for alcohol abuse, para-military police squads for "stoners". Hasn't modern society become slightly ironic?...

I just realized that French could well be your first language...

Yes, it is actually, and thanks for the good words by the way! :D

I also happen to be born in a location surounded by lots of fertile land - which in cannabic terms makes me deeply regret that i didn't benefit from such an extraordinary opportunity at all!... No doubt you have some hints what i'd wish to do if i could go back while having access to the same tools at my disposal today!!

Good day, have fun!

:peace:
 
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Jared

Cannabis Enthusiast
The people that enforce the law look for reasons. If there is a reason they will bust you even in the most liberal states. The best policy to adopt if you wish to avoid dealing with law enforcement is simply do not travel with weed (even medicinal) or paraphernalia in your car or keep it in the trunk out of sight. Having weed in the car is the #1 place people in possession of weed intersect with law enforcement. A word for the wise when it comes to law enforcement always remember it is not important what you think but rather what the officer questioning you thinks. :2c:
I got pulled over in Colorado Springs for out of date tags, also had an out of date license. Officer didn't question me a single time about weed or even ask me if I'm high. And to be honest I look like a bum, and fully expected him to question me up and down. Only question he asked was if there were any guns he should know about. I could've had 10lbs in my back seat and I feel like he couldn't have cared less. Didn't ask to search one time, issued me a ticket for expired tags and let my passenger drive me to the DMV. I'm not really sure why I just told that story but I'm really baked and it seemed kinda relevent I guess.
 

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I really wish they weren't trying to do this, but I guess I can't blame them. I just don't see any way for it to be made to work correctly or fairly. Is it likely to indicate whether someone is too stoned to drive safely? I think not in any accurate way, no. But it WILL give police departments another revenue stream and another opportunity to screw up peoples lives... :(
 
cybrguy,
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Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
Folks with adult ADD are helped greatly to focus and coordinate when the good herb is used responsibly. We older folks, especially, like to take our time on the road, keep our head on a swivel, feel the hum of the engine and the rubber on the tarmac, and become "one with the machine" so to speak. Aided with the responsible use of MJ, driving becomes an art in safety, timing, coordination, and enjoyment from point A to point B to point C and back. Can't say that about booze.
 

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I've always believed that to be true. A (reasonably) stoned driver is an aware driver. Try to convince a cop or other non-MJ user of that and they will likely laugh, however.

Just like alcohol users, some MJ users ability (to do anything) to drive IS significantly diminished, but I think they are the exception rather than the rule. In my case I think I can drive fine with a normal buzz, but if I CAN avoid driving I will. I NEVER drive buzzed on liquor tho...
 

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
Its very simple. Try riding a bike (especially a mountain bike on a trail) when your drunk vs when you are high. Completely different. Doing this test yourself can be dangerous but very instructive.
Right! And driving a car doesn't involve the physical effort & coordination that riding a bike involves.

Narcotic prescriptions for pain always label the caution concerning operating machinery or driving while medicated. No police breath or blood tests for that. What about the good Joe or Jane who just had to pull a triple shift at work (sleep deprived) but had to drive home from work to hit the sack? Where do you draw the line - where does it stop?
 

Gunky

Well-Known Member
The thing is the effects of cannabis are quite different from alcohol, where there is a clear correlation between blood levels and impairment. With cannabis it all depends. I am a pretty heavy consumer and have a high tolerance. I notice that I can drive fine no matter how much I vape. However, I have always regarded driving in significant traffic as a difficult and dangerous task requiring alertness and concentration. My alertness and concentration are good enough to drive when I vape but I would rather have that extra margin of safety, take the extra care and lay off for an hour or two before driving.
 

t-dub

Vapor Sloth
I do not understand people who drive and vape. Yes cannabis is different than alcohol, and there is no objective standard to blood test by, but that doesn't mean anyone should be driving impaired. My brother-in-law was killed by a drunk driver so I have a certain "thing" when it comes to people driving impaired. Wait for 20 minutes or whatever it takes before hitting the road please.
 

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
I take safe driving very serious. I wait a few hours if I've done a significant amount of vaping. I have felt like I could drive fine but have turned around after a mile and gone back home when I have felt too medicated. I would be worried that even though I hadn't used cannabis like in 12 hours that it would show up a significant amount in my body because I'm a regular consumer. The test worries me.
 

grokit

well-worn member
I do not understand people who drive and vape.
I knew this dude back in the day that could steer with one knee while changing lanes on the freeway doing 70, all while hitting a three-foot graphix bong unassisted. Just another day at the beach for us :science:
 
grokit,

KeroZen

Chronic vapaholic
Where I live they are experimenting saliva-based tests that also give instant results. The main problem I see, as CK noted, is that those tests turn positive even if you were just sitting in a smoke filled room 24h ago and only enjoyed second hand smoke/vape.
 
KeroZen,
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