Researchers working on a breathalyser for weed

NZ Herald 9 September 2019
Family First Comment: Good development..
“A prototype device can tell if someone’s high on marijuana and could soon be changing the way law enforcement officers deal with weed intoxication.”
We may need it even more in NZ ??

A prototype device can tell if someone’s high on marijuana and could soon be changing the way law enforcement officers deal with weed intoxication.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the US have unveiled a device that looks much like the standard breathalyser but can measure levels of THC, which is the dominant psychoactive compound in weed.

Tests for levels of marijuana are currently done using either blood, urine or hair samples.

The new device uses carbon nanotubes to bind the THC molecules and detect the compound through a person’s breath.

“The semiconductor carbon nanotubes that we are using weren’t available even a few years ago,” says lead author Sean Hwang.

“We used machine learning to ‘teach’ the breathalyser to recognise the presence of THB based on the electrical currents’ recovery time, even when there are other substances, like alcohol, present in the breath.
READ MORE: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=12266223&ref=twitter (behind paywall)