Marijuana is currently legal in 30 States and law enforcement has reported a sharp rise of drivers under the influence of marijuana. In a 2017 survey, Colorado Department of Transportation found that over 50% of the marijuana users reported consistently driving high in the past 30 days. Another study found that of people who are killed in car crashes and who were tested, 42% had impairing drugs in their system. This implies that driving under the influence of marijuana may cause more deadly traffic collisions than driving under the influence of alcohol.
To date, law enforcement only had field sobriety tests for alcohol. Blood or urine tests are ineffective because they show presence of marijuana consumption that occurred up to weeks before, long after impairment subsides. Officers need a more accurate way of measuring marijuana impairment roadside so Hound Labs developed a dual alcohol and marijuana breathalyzer. As it pertains to marijuana, it measures small particles of THC in breath within three hours of consumption.
Hound Labs claims that their product "gives law enforcement an objective way to determine if a driver has recently used marijuana and is therefore within the peak impairment window." Roadside testing will begin in select cities this Fall.
