Scientists are developing on-site tests for cannabis use similar to an alcohol tester

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

Researchers could be closer to developing the equivalent of an alcohol tester for detecting marijuana in a person’s body, according to an article published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Currently, the gold standard for detecting marijuana use is to measure THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, in the blood or urine. But these tests can take days, and unlike alcohol, THC can remain in the bloodstream for days, said Hakho Lee, Ph.D., director of the Biomedical Engineering Program at Harvard University and senior author of the new study, as reported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

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There are some saliva tests that exist for THC, but they are limited by issues such as slow processing time or “binary” results (yes / no). To enable quick THC quantification on site, the scientists behind the research developed a rapid test for oral THC analysis called EPOCH, which is similar to an alcohol tester and allows the test to be completed within 5 minutes.

“As marijuana becomes more accessible, it is important for public safety to be able to objectively see whether a person is under its influence,” Lee said.

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In the initial tests, THC was accurately detected in saliva samples from all users of the plant within about three minutes. The researchers eventually plan to expand their test to detect drugs like oxycodone and other synthetic opioids.

“Since our device is a platform technology, we can easily identify different targets by switching the detection. [molecules]”Added Lee.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.