Breathalyzers for marijuana don’t work, a new study says

Breathalyzers for marijuana have been in development for years. These mythical tools could solve one of the main problems related to marijuana legalization: measuring levels of THC exposure in motorists. But a new study shows that current breathalyzers are nowhere near this goal.

The study, conducted in Australia by researchers at the University of Sydney, found that marijuana alcohol devices were inconsistent in measuring THC impairment. The researchers analyzed 28 studies of driving performance and THC levels in blood and saliva and found the relationship between the two to be inconsistent.

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The idea of ​​marijuana alcohol analysis is based on alcohol alcohol analyzers that are administered on the go and allow an accurate assessment of people’s blood alcohol levels. This has been tried and tested over the years to get a relatively accurate estimate of people’s noise levels and the effects it has on their ability to drive. This does not appear to be the case with THC.

This new study analyzed a variety of older studies that focused on how THC affected people’s reaction time and attentional division, skills required to drive safely. While the study found some strong links between THC levels and impairment in inexperienced cannabis users, those links disappeared once cannabis users became proficient (using the drug several times a week).

RELATED: Scientists Develop On-Site Test For Cannabis Use Similar To An Alcohol Tester

“Higher THC levels in the blood were only weakly associated with increased impairment in casual cannabis users, while no significant association was found in regular cannabis users,” said Dr. Danielle McCartney, lead study author. “This suggests that blood and oral levels of THC are relatively poor indicators of cannabis THC-induced impairment.”

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While THC poisoning can impair driving skills, it manifests itself very differently depending on the THC consumption. Someone who has experience with cannabis may have the same THC levels in their blood as someone who is inexperienced with it. These two people are likely to have completely different reactions to the drug and how much it affects them.

RELATED: Driving marijuana might not be as dangerous as prescription drugs

Breathalyzer for marijuana has been people’s first choice for solving THC-influenced driving. Now it seems that these devices should measure another biomarker of success, something that not only proves that someone has recently consumed THC, but that they are affected by it. While the idea of ​​a device that can measure THC sounds safe enough to allow an accurate assessment of poisoning and prevent this type of behavior, marijuana is too complex a drug to reduce by a number.