With more and more states legalizing either medical or recreational cannabis use, quick and accurate tests that can reveal if someone is driving under the influence are becoming essential.
Fortunately, scientists have been working on THC breathalyzers for quite some time and it looks like they're finally getting there.
According to a paper published in the journal Organic Letters, UCLA organic chemistry professor Neil Garg and researchers from the UCLA startup ElectraTect Inc. made significant progress in the development of a handheld tool that can identify THC in breath after an individual has smoked weed, reported UCLA Newsroom.
Some two years ago, Garg and UCLA postdoc researcher Evan Darzi found out that extracting hydrogen molecules from the larger THC molecule results in a color change in a perceivable way.
The process, also known as oxidation, is close to the one used in alcohol breathalyzers, which transform ethanol into an organic chemical compound by pulling out hydrogen. In a better part of modern alcohol breathalyzers, this oxidation creates an electric current that detects the presence and concentration of ethanol in the breath.
So, how does this new laboratory-scale THC-powered fuel cell sensor work?
New Device Highlights
When THC connects with a negatively charged electrode on one side of the device, it oxidizes into a new compound – THCQ, sending electrons to a positively charged electrode, the researchers explained. When electrons reach the cathode they generate a measurable electric current. The more powerful the current means the higher the concentration of THC.
According to the report, this is the first time THC has been used to power a fuel cell sensor.
Researchers behind the device project say that this simple and fairly affordable technology, when polished, could be suitable for mass production.
Now, they are working to modify the device to detect and measure THC in exhaled breath, planning to make it in a more compact size that can be used by hand. What’s more, they think it could also be made as an ignition interlock device, or in other words, a breathalyzer connected to a vehicle’s ignition that would block it from turning on when THC is detected.
This device could help improve safety on the roads, the scientists believe, adding that one of the main advantages of the device is that it could potentially help law enforcement be fairer. The problem with other tests that are commonly used, such as urine or blood, is that they can detect the presence of THC even weeks after smoking weed though not able to determine if a person was high at the time of testing. Not to mention that a THC breathalyzer would be a much quicker and simpler test.
While all this might be true, one must wonder, what about cannabis edibles?
Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Páscoa on Unsplash
