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A marijuana breathalyzer is in the works. But will it stop weed DUIs?
Nov
There are several reasons people oppose marijuana legalization, but perhaps chief among them is: How do we keep impaired drivers off the roads?
That’s where Northern California-based Hound Labs comes into play. Launched in 2014, the company plans to bring its THC-sensing breathalyzers to the market in early 2020.
“The issue law enforcement is expressing in New Jersey is real and significant. Other states that have gone ahead with recreational adult-use sort of gave the topic not enough attention,” said Doug Boxer, vice president of Hound Labs. “Law enforcement and employers don’t have real, good ways, a good methodology, to determine if someone has used marijuana.”
Opponents of legal weed and some law enforcement officials have worried about a lack of measures for catching drivers under the influence of marijuana, the effects of which are less predictable than alcohol. Right now, there’s no widely-accepted quantifiable measure for cannabis intoxication, though the National Institutes of Health have come to a consensus on what a cannabis high looks like. Experts trained to recognize a high driver in the field, not blood testing, is the best indication of driver impairment, studies show.
Read more from the source: NJ.com
Photo: Hound Labs has developed a breathalyzer the company says can pick up THC within two-to-three hours after a user consumes it. (Photo courtesy Hound Labs)