Marijuana has been illegal in the United States ever since it was discovered that hemp would threaten multiple industries. Everything is slowing changing, however, with more and more states making it legal to use for medical reasons and a few even legalizing for recreational use just like alcohol. The problem is that there is no convenient way to test for usage on the side of the road. Normally, if police suspect usage of the drug the haul you off for blood, saliva, or urine testing. Some officers can do urine testing on the side of the road, but that’s a huge hassle and can be difficult. Now, there’s a device in the works over at Shan Xiang Wang’s lab at Stanford University that could change the THC testing game forever.
The device uses what is known as a magneto-nanosensor, and it can detect trace amounts of THC in saliva. Unlike the lab testing that takes place today, the use of magnetic nanoparticles and sensors will allow police to take a small saliva sample and have the result in just a few minutes. And, since it connects to mobile phones or tablets via Bluetooth, police can receive the results on the spot instead of hauling you off to the lab and waiting for the results.
In a publication on Digital Trends, Professor Wang said, “Detection of marijuana from blood or urine in a reference lab is not difficult, but it is difficult or impractical at the roadside. Most law enforcement officers are not authorized to take blood samples, while taking a urine sample on the spot is extremely inconvenient. Detection of marijuana from saliva would bypass the trappings with either blood or urine samples.”
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