Will brain scans replace breathalyzers, read this https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/cannabis-breathalyzers-dont-work-are-brain-scans-next-for-marijuana-dui-testing

1. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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2. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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BRAIN SCANS FOR MARIJUANA DUIS
Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are
Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI
Testing?
Weed breathalyzers are not holding up in court, brain scans might be next for DUI testing.
Posted by:
The Undercover Stoner , today at 12:00am

3. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/cannabis-breathalyzers-dont-work-are-brain-scans-next-for-marijuana-dui-testing 4/16
Brain imaging could be the next big thing for testing marijuana in drivers!
It is common knowledge that marijuana is one of the leading causes of accidents in the United States. Scientific evidence
shows that the drug is capable of altering a driver's senses and judgment. The challenge police officers, toxicologists,
researchers, and other security agents have is how to accurately detect the presence of cannabis in a driver's system.
Unlike alcohol tests, which have been modified over the years to give quick and accurate results, there has been little
progress in developing a proper cannabis test that could provide accurate results in a short time.
Cannabis and Impaired Driving
Overconsumption of cannabis is one of the causes of impaired driving. The risks of accidents due to marijuana
intoxication have gone up following the implementation of cannabis legislation across the legal states. Drivers often
experience a degradation in cognition and motor skills as well as an altered perception when driving under the
influence of alcohol. This is why cannabis users are always advised not to drive under the influence, especially when
high-THC products have been overconsumed. (https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/what-is-scromiting-screaming-
vomiting-a-large-dose-of-thc)
Recent statistics show that over 21% of motor crashes involving cannabis users happened due to overconsumption of
the drug. Crash risks are also estimated to be as high as 25% while under the influence of high-THC weed
(https://cannabis.net/blog/strains/cannabis-strains-with-wicked-high-thc-levels). At least 100 people are involved in fatal
accidents each year due to cannabis impairments.
Although these figures are substantially lower than those of alcohol (roughly 85%), they need to be controlled before
they get out of hand. In the last decade, traditional breathalyzers, which test for alcohol use while driving, were
modified to detect acute cannabis impairment in drivers. However, these test results were often inaccurate and
unreliable.
A New Study

4. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/cannabis-breathalyzers-dont-work-are-brain-scans-next-for-marijuana-dui-testing 5/16
Recently, a group of researchers announced that non-invasive brain imaging could be a more reliable and accurate way
to detect cannabis impairment in drivers. The brain's activity would be observed with imaging equipment using
functional near-infrared spectroscopy. With these new techniques, toxicologists and law enforcement will be able to tell
whether or not a crash is due to impairment or intoxication.
For many years, the challenge of accurately proving a crash occurred due to the overconsumption of cannabis has been
challenging to resolve. Except laboratory tests are carried out on the driver's urine or blood, and it takes a while for the
results to show. Not to mention that the blood and oral fluids in the body can sometimes be poor indicators of the level
of THC concentrations. A recent study conducted by Lambert's Initiative (https://www.sydney.edu.au/lambert/), a
program at the University of Sydney, showed that marijuana tests using blood and other oral fluids gave inconsistent
results. Hence, the researchers could not conclude whether or not the volunteer's impairment was cannabis-induced.
More Details
Harvard Gazette reported that non-invasive brain imaging could "perhaps" be the solution to accurately detecting
cannabis impairment. Another study in the neuropsychopharmacology journal revealed that observing an individual's
brain activity could be a direct way to establish whether or not the person is cannabis-impaired.
The proposed non-invasive brain imaging procedure is functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The study
conducted by another team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital showed that the design is a more
objective and dependable method to point out individuals whose performances have been impaired by THC
(https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/impaired-even-while-sober-analyzing-the-latest-cannabis-and-driving-study). The
procedure measured the various brain activation patterns and compared them with regular patterns and patterns that
are similar to cannabis impairment.
Jodi Gilman, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and one of the lead investigators at the center
for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that the goal of the research is to establish if an
observation of the brain's activity at an individual level is enough to detect cannabis impairment. He also asserted that
the level of research is critical and vital to cannabis research and law enforcement.

5. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/cannabis-breathalyzers-dont-work-are-brain-scans-next-for-marijuana-dui-testing 6/16
Breathalyzers have proven to be unreliable for cannabis impairment detection (https://cannabis.net/blog/news/why-
marijuana-breathalyzers-dont-work-well-just-yet), and it is imperative to develop a better and more efficient test to
objectively assess drivers during traffic stops.
The study also examines the problem of correctly discerning if a driver's impairment is due to regular consumption of
cannabis or intoxication. The new laws in different states permitting the use of cannabis products mean there are some
people who use the drug regularly, either for medical reasons or recreational reasons. Expectedly, these people will
have high levels of THC in their bodies without feeling impaired. Cannabis scientists claim that THC concentration in the
body does not directly equate to functional or consistent impairment.
Jodi Gilman added that the team is working on a method that would ensure regular medical cannabis users or other
responsible users with small amounts of cannabinoids are not unjustly penalized.

6. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/cannabis-breathalyzers-dont-work-are-brain-scans-next-for-marijuana-dui-testing 7/16
Other Observations
One hundred sixty-nine cannabis users volunteered for the trial and underwent fNIRS brain imaging before consuming
a measured amount of oral THC or a placebo. They also did the scan after that.
Volunteers on the cannabis dose showed signs of intoxication as their brain activities in the brain's prefrontal cortex
showed a heightened oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (HbO). Despite being given the same dose of cannabis, the
volunteers showed different levels of impairment reactions. The researchers pointed out that these differences
confirmed the variations between cannabis impairment and THC concentrations.
Eden Evins, MD, MPH, senior author and principal investigator of the study, as well as the founding director of the
Addiction Medicine Centre, disclosed that the machine learning models which used information from the fNIRS machine
were used to confirm the accuracy of the procedure.
Bottom Line
Police officers on the field stand to benefit the most from the development of portable brain imaging devices. They
would be able to quickly identify acute impairment due to THC intoxication in drivers during traffic stops. In the
meantime, companies are still working on developing breathalyzers that can measure a driver's exposure to cannabis.
While this would lead to unjust arrests, it would have to work till researchers can perfect the lightweight, inexpensive,
and battery-powered fNIRS devices.
MARIJUANA DUIs, READ MORE...

7. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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(https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/can-the-druid-app-help-protect-
cannabis-consumers-against-bogus-duiimpairment-test)
CAN THE DRUID APP HELP YOU AVOID A MARIJUANA DUI? (https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/can-the-druid-app-
help-protect-cannabis-consumers-against-bogus-duiimpairment-test)
OR..

8. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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(https://cannabis.net/blog/news/did-this-chemist-just-solve-the-
marijuana-breathalyzer-problem)
DID THIS CHEMIST JUST SOLVE THE CANNABIS BREATHALYZER ISSUE? (https://cannabis.net/blog/news/did-this-
chemist-just-solve-the-marijuana-breathalyzer-problem)
What did you think?
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9. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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11. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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(https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/cannabis-strains-for-restless-leg-syndrome-rls)
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12. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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(https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/6-possible-benefits-of-cbd-that-doctors-are-studying-right-now)
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6 Possible Benefits of CBD That Doctors are Studying Right Now
CBD is a form of cannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant. It’s said to be a non-psychoactive substance, which means that it won't get you high or change the
way your brain functions. On the other hand, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), which is also present in the leaves of the cannabis plant, is the cannabinoid that may
have a psychoactive effect on the brain.

13. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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14. 1/28/22, 11:35 AM Cannabis Breathalyzers Don't Work, Are Brain Scans Next for Marijuana DUI Testing?
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(https://cannabis.net/blog/b2b/what-cannabis-brands-and-organizations-are-supporting-veterans-right-now)
B2B
What Cannabis Brands and Organizations are Supporting Veterans Right Now?
Unfortunately, assess to medical marijuana programs is not that simple for veterans as it is for civilians in states where cannabis use is legal for adult use or
medical use. The illegality of cannabis at the federal level following its classification as a Schedule I drug means that veterans are barred from having access to
it. Several studies have shown the effect of cannabis in dealing with PTSD, insomnia, and other mental health issues common to such a line of work. Nonetheles…
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