There’s no quicker method to accurately determining someone is drunk than performing a breathalyzer test.
But until now, there was no such method available for police officers to catch someone high on pot.
A new invention will make that easier for suspicious cops. A marijuana breathalyzer will begin clinical trials early next year, Hound Labs Inc. announced, and will be an addition to the usual alcohol breath test.
Hound Labs has been collaborating with scientists at UC Berkeley to develop the technology.
Measuring one’s level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is typically done with a urine, blood or saliva test, but does not accurately measure real-time impairment like a breath test would.
"The idea is that law enforcement will have one device out on the road to test for both THC and alcohol," Hound Labs CEO and founder Dr. Mike Lynn explained, according to CBS News.
Lynn hopes that the handheld device, which initially be tested by law enforcement agencies in San Francisco, will eventuall be used nationwide.
"We plan to do clinical studies and also work with law enforcement on testing to make sure we have the exact device that's really needed out there on street," he said.
