Minnesota is among several states testing a new device that detects THC in saliva, similar to a Keurig machine. The pilot program, which ended earlier this year, is now under review by the state patrol, which plans to present its findings to state legislators.
With cannabis now legal in most states, its use has grown and more people are consuming it before driving. States have laws against driving under the influence of substances, but regulating cannabis impairment remains a challenge. Unlike alcohol, where a breathalyzer provides a clear measure of intoxication, THC affects individuals differently based on tolerance, making it hard to set a standard.
Studies suggest that THC impairs driving by reducing reaction time, slowing speed, and causing swerving. However, determining the actual risk remains complex. In Colorado, fatal accidents involving drivers with THC in their system increased post-legalization, yet it’s difficult to confirm if they were impaired at the time of the crash.
Alcohol breath tests work well because breath alcohol levels closely match blood and brain alcohol levels. THC, on the other hand, can stay in the body long after its effects wear off, making it unreliable as an immediate impairment indicator. This has led private companies, state agencies, and researchers to look for a more accurate roadside test.
Other states, including Wisconsin, Alabama, Indiana, Colorado and Michigan have used or considered saliva-based THC tests. Missouri police have experimented with goggles that analyze pupil movement and size. Meanwhile, Colorado researchers are exploring THC breathalyzers. In Illinois and Vermont, teams have created apps designed to assess cognitive function in real time.
Colonel Matthew Packard, head of the Colorado State Patrol, believes training officers to recognize impairment remains crucial, even without a definitive test. His department has conducted “green labs,” where volunteers use cannabis in front of law enforcement officers to help them identify impairment signs more accurately.
However, some argue that relying solely on police judgment is too subjective. Jordan Wellington, a marijuana policy expert at Strategies 64, points out that officers, like anyone else, are not infallible. While developing a reliable impairment test is an important goal, he believes public education on cannabis and the impact of driving under the influence is even more critical to improving road and public safety.
“If people avoided driving while impaired, we wouldn’t need to focus as much on detecting impairment,” Wellington says. “The real issue is people making poor decisions before they get behind the wheel.”
Major marijuana entities like Verano Holdings Corp. (OTCQX: VRNOF) hope that efforts to get reliable tests for marijuana intoxication yield results soon so that any claims that cannabis leads to increases in traffic accidents can be verified or debunked using concrete data from the field.
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