B.C. tech company rolls out new cannabis breathalyzer

The current system for cannabis testing has some significant flaws, but a B.C. company is hoping its new product will fill that gap.

Cannabix Technologies has started the first phase of the rollout of its Marijuana Breath Test system for commercial customers across several industries, but not for police, according to a press release.

The system is supposed to detect recent cannabis use within four hours of consumption.

“Traditional cannabis testing methods such as urine, saliva or hair analysis, primarily detect historical cannabis use. These methods can return positive results hours, days, or even weeks after consumption, making them ineffective for determining whether an individual may be using during the workday,” Cannabix said in the release.

Since the device detects recent use it’s a better way to determine impairment, even though it doesn’t specifically measure how high someone is.

“Scientific research shows that delta-9 THC is detectable in breath for a short window of approximately two to four hours, closely aligned with the period of peak impairment. Breath analysis therefore provides the most relevant and scientifically meaningful indication of recent use, which is the metric employers and safety-sensitive industries require,” Cannabix said.

Zach Walsh is a professor at the University of British Columbia who researches cannabis use.

Walsh said a cannabis breathalyzer test comparable to what’s available for alcohol would be a significant development, if it’s reliable and accurate.

“It’s very difficult to measure impairments. (Cannabis) doesn’t map on to breath the way that alcohol does. So trying to come up with something that’s parallel, well, I can see why people want it,” he said.

Walsh said we’ll have to wait and see how the new breath testing device performs in this first phase of its release.

“My first response is skepticism,” he said. “The impetus is always on the side of industry to say, ‘hey, we’ve got this great new thing that’s going to change the world. Please invest in us.’ Whether or not that maps onto real world use, I think is another question,” he said.

There are already roadside and workplace devices approved for drug impairment like the SoToxa device and Drager 5000 that use saliva to quickly test whether someone has used drugs.

Both devices were approved more than six years ago, but RCMP previously said those devices have some reliability concerns.

Cannabix CEO Rav Mlait was not available for an interview.