Fair cannabis breath-test one step closer

Cannabis in traffic: a disaster in the Netherlands 

The current Dutch traffic situation for cannabis users is and remains dramatic.THC is detectable for much longer than the actual high lastsA joint on Saturday night? You might still test positive on a cannabis breathalyzer test Monday afternoon, even if you've been sharp again for a while.

The Dutch limit value is 3.0 micrograms of THC per liter of blood (equivalent to 3 ng/mL).The problem: You can still exceed this limit for up to 14 hours after smoking cannabis, even if you haven't felt high for a long time. For comparison, Germany uses 1 microgram, Colorado 5 micrograms. And did you know that Canadian snowboarder Ross Sebagliati won Olympic gold in 1998 with a whopping 17.8 micrograms of THC in his blood—six times the Dutch driving limit!

The fuss about THC testingThis is mainly because there's only a weak correlation between blood THC concentration and actual driving ability. The correlation is much weaker than with alcohol. Yet, every positive cannabis test results in the same harsh penalty: loss of driver's license, at least €1,000 in costs, and years of retests.

What did the Americans investigate?

Researchers from the American NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) asked 29 adults to abstain from cannabis use for a period of time and bring their own edibles to the testing site.

To investigate the effectiveness of their cannabis breathalyzer, they first administered the cannabis breathalyzer test before eating the edible. They then repeated the test 47 minutes, 92 minutes, and 180 minutes after consuming the edible.For the first time, the researchers succeeded in detecting THC in exhaled air after consuming edibles.

But here comes the challengeThe results were still very mixed. Of the 29 participants, a whopping 27 had THC in their breath before they had even consumed anything! After eating space cake, 19 people's THC levels increased, 4 remained the same, and 6 even decreased. 🤔

Principal InvestigatorJennifer Berryalso warns:“No one should consider a single cannabis breathalyzer test as evidence of recent use or impairment.”The signals still vary enormously from person to person, and from moment to moment.

Cannabis breathalyzer closer

This American study is an important milestone on the road to a fair cannabis breathalyzer test. While it doesn't immediately solve the Dutch traffic crisis, it does demonstrate that scientists are seriously working on a solution.

For cannabis users – both medicinal and recreational – this is good news.Work is finally underway to develop a test that measures actual influence rather than old THC residueWith further research and technical improvements, we're gradually moving closer to a fairer system. 😊

Sources:

• NIST study:Cannabinoids detected in exhaled breath condensate after cannabis use

• Earth.com article about the research

• VOC-Netherlands campaign Cannabis and Traffic

• Netherlands Forensic Institute guidelines

• National government information about drugs in traffic

• CNNBS