UBC professor develops marijuana Breathalyzer

A researcher at the University of British Columbia has successfully created a breathalyzer test capable of measuring THC levels. Engineering professor Mina Hoorfar began work on the project in 2013 with the help of PhD student Mohammad Paknahad. Traditional drug tests rely on blood or saliva samples, which take time and are impractical in a roadside setting. But Hoorfar’s breathalyzer can detect tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, using only the subject’s breath.

“It’s very easy to test for THC as it is a big molecule that stays in your breath for a long time,” she said in a press release. “There is a period of 12 hours after you have consumed THC when it can still be detected in your breath.” Hoorfar said the tool can help law enforcement, but is also meant to help marijuana users make an informed and responsible decision before getting behind the wheel. “This is a tool not just for the police, but perhaps more for self-testing and self-monitoring,” she said. “People can consciously make the choice to test themselves after they have consumed THC or alcohol.”

The Liberals government has announced they will introduce their much-anticipated marijuana legislation in the spring of 2017.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair demanded in daily question period to know whether the Liberals will prevent those caught with small amounts of pot from incurring criminal records while it remains illegal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded that he believes in legalization “because it protects our kids and keeps money out of the pockets of criminal organizations and street gangs,” but suggested he is opposed to decriminalization.

“The fact of the matter is, decriminalization actually gives a legal stream of income to criminal organizations,” Trudeau said. “That’s not what anyone wants in this country.”

The stance puts the prime minister at odds with some in his own party, including Toronto MP Nathan Erskine-Smith, who studied decriminalization at Oxford University and has advocated for decriminalization, including at a United Nations conference in Febrauray.

Mulcair later told media that thousands of people have received criminal records since the Liberals were elected due to small amounts of marijuana, and some of them may be young people who believe pot has already been decriminalized. “By the time this thing gets done, tens of thousands of people will have criminal records,” he said. “And by the way, it’s not a good use of our police or our court system.” “If Mr. Trudeau truly believed that the best solution was continuing to keep it criminal, he should have had police arrest people on the hill here today,” Mulcair added, referring to the 4-20 celebration on Parliament Hill. “It’s a mixed signal that has been sent.”

Health Minister Jane Philpott was at the UN General Assembly in New York when she announced the spring 2017 timeline. Philpott told a special session on global drug policy that the Liberal government’s plan to legalize and regulate pot “challenges the status quo in many countries.” But the government is convinced that it is the best way to “protect our youth while enhancing public safety,” she said. “I am proud to stand up for our drug policy that is informed by solid scientific evidence and uses a lens of public health to maximize education and minimize harm.” Philpott, who was a family physician before she entered politics, said she has seen “too many people suffer the devastating consequences of drugs, drug-related crime and ill-conceived drug policy.”

She said the new legislation will keep marijuana “out of the hands of children, and profits out of the hands of criminals.”