For the first time, police in California have used a new breathalyzer to detect THC in drivers. The completion of this initial field test means a device called The Hound is one step closer to national distribution. It can not only detect if you recently smoked weed, it knows if you’ve eaten it.
U.S. News & World Report states that:
Edible marijuana generally gives users a delayed high and appeared to be detectable for longer on a person’s breath. Like exhaled alcohol the THC in breath leaves the bloodstream through the lungs.
CEO Mike Lynn, an emergency room doctor and reserve officer with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, says that his company plans to widely distribute the device nationally after six months.
Unlike the Potalyzer, The Hound uses breath, not saliva, to detect THC in the system.
In this recent trial, Lynn says they didn’t arrest anyone. He says the objective was to educate drivers, not jail them.
