Detection of THC Use in Drivers

Proposal title: Detection of THC Use in Drivers The intoxicating effects of marijuana are of concern to the law enforcement community as well as to the general manufacturing, service and commerce community where employees may need to be screened for intoxication. A reliable method to quantitatively measure the amount of the intoxicating agent delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in suspected marijuana users is needed. The proposed innovative approach facilitates rapid measurement of the amount of THC in the exhaled breath of suspected subjects by collecting the exhaled THC aerosols in an infrared-transparent filter membrane and then analyzing the infrared spectral absorption of that membrane with tunable laser spectroscopy (TLS). Phase I demonstrated that this new analytical tool can distinguish between the spectral absorption features of THC and those of other nonintoxicating agents like cannabidiol (CBD) and cigarette smoke, thereby preventing false positive readings. Phase II will develop, produce and demonstrate a prototype exhaled breath analyzer (THC-VoxTM) capableof measuring the nanogram quantities of THC contained in the exhaled breath of intoxicated marijuana users. This will be followed by a comprehensive Phase IIB clinical study demonstrating that TLS can identify THC intoxicated individuals, thereby paving the way towards commercialization of this new technology by introduction of the new THC-VoxTM exhaled breath analyzer.