Scientists developing marijuana breath test to nab stoned drivers
You ever take a breathalyzer test — on weed? That may some day be a real possibility, as researchers at Washington State University are working on a breathalyzer test to identify stoned drivers, according to The Seattle Times.
When Washington legalized the use of recreational marijuana, the state set a legal limit on the amount of THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — people could have in their systems when driving. So using the same technology used to screen for drugs at security checkpoints, a team at WSU hopes to build a handheld device that would flag the presence of THC on someone's breath, much in the way officers can already screen for booze.
Though the planned prototype would only identify the presence of THC, and not its concentration, WSU professor Herbert Hill said the tool would at least give police "a higher level of confidence in making an arrest."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Ken Martin: the Minnesota politico turned DNC chair
In the Spotlight Martin, the head of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, was elected with over half the vote
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Montenegro offers Adriatic adventures without the crowds
The Week Recommends There is room for everyone in this Balkan destination
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'Although deepfake porn is a global problem, South Korea has been hit particularly hard'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Europe records big leap in renewable energy
Speed Read Solar power overtook coal for the first time
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blue Origin conducts 1st test flight of massive rocket
Speed Read The Jeff Bezos-founded space company conducted a mostly successful test flight of its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US won its war on 'murder hornets,' officials say
Speed Read The announcement comes five years after the hornets were first spotted in the US
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New DNA tests of Pompeii dead upend popular stories
Speed Read An analysis of skeletal remains reveals that some Mount Vesuvius victims have been wrongly identified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
NASA's Europa Clipper blasts off, seeking an ocean
Speed Read The ship is headed toward Jupiter on a yearslong journey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Detailed map of fly's brain holds clues to human mind
Speed Read This remarkable fruit fly brain analysis will aid in future human brain research
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blind people will listen to next week's total eclipse
Speed Read While they can't see the event, they can hear it with a device that translates the sky's brightness into music
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published