Study to test new approach for detecting cannabis in breath

Gaithersburg, MD — Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder are partnering to test whether a new breath-test strategy can reliably detect recent cannabis use.

They’ll examine an approach that involves two breath tests administered within about an hour of each other to determine if a person is impaired.

Around 45 participants will be divided into two groups. One will use a THC-based strain of flower cannabis and the other will be given a THC-based cannabis concentrate. THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

After use, the participants will complete 10 breath tests at set time intervals apart. Although each participant will undergo multiple breath tests, “the study’s main goal is to find the ideal timing between two breath tests,” NIST says in a press release.

The participants will also provide blood samples and complete a questionnaire on cannabis use.

Last year, the researchers found that testing a single breath may not be reliable because cannabis can “linger in the body for weeks, making it difficult to distinguish between past and present use.”

NIST says successful testing could lead to a new roadside test for law enforcement to implement.

“This is potentially paradigm-changing,” NIST materials research engineer Kavita Jeerage said in the release. “If successful, it could pave the way for on-the-spot detection of recent cannabis use by law enforcement.”