RAPID ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY FOR CANNABINOIDS IN BLOOD

SERIOUS ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE USE OF ILLICIT DRUGS BY AMERICANS IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE. ONE OF THE MOST ABUSED DRUGS FOR OVER TWO DECADES HAS BEEN MARIJUANA, WHICH IS NOW BEING USED BY BLUE- AND WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS, MILITARY PERSONNEL, PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES, AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. BECAUSE OF THIS, MANY EMPLOYERS (INCLUDING THE U.S. MILITARY) ARE BEGINNING TO DEMAND THAT WORKERS SUSPECTED OF DRUG USE UNDERGO DRUG TESTING. A VARIETY OF METHODS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SPECIFIC AND SENSITIVE DETERMINATION OF MARIJUANA AND ITS MAJOR METABOLITES IN BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS. MOST AVAILABLE ASSAYS (E.G., HPLC, GC-MS) REQUIRE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT, TRAINED PERSONNEL, AND ARE SLOW TO DETERMINE CANNABINOID USE. BIO-METRIC SYSTEMS, INC. PROPOSES TO DEVELOP AN ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY (EIA) THAT WILL BE USEFUL FOR THE DETECTION OF LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF THE MAJOR CANNABINOIDS IN BLOOD. BLOOD OBTAINED BY A FINGERPRICK CAN BE ANALYZED DIRECTLY BY THE ASSAY, THUS ELIMINATING POSSIBLE SAMPLE CONTAMINATION. THIS QUALITATIVE ASSAY WOULD SERVE AS AN EXCELLENT SCREEN FOR POSSIBLE CANNABINOID ABUSE, BUT ALL POSITIVE SAMPLES WOULD REQUIRE VERIFICATION BY MORE SENSITIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ASSAYS. THE ASSAY IS SIMPLE, FAST (LESS THAN 10 MINUTES), NONINSTRUMENTAL, AND THUS EASILY PORTABLE FOR USE IN THE WORKPLACE.