UCLA Researchers Develop Chemistry for Creation of Marijuana Breathalyzer

A discovery by chemists at UCLA could pave the way for the development of a small, electronic marijuana breathalyzer. The findings were published in Organic Letters, a peer-reviewed American Chemical Society journal.

Citing statistics that indicate more than 14 million people in the U.S. smoke marijuana and drive, Neil Garg, UCLA’s Kenneth N. Trueblood Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and chair of UCLA’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, and lead author Evan Darzi, a former postdoctoral scholar in Garg’s laboratory, said in a news release that the goal of the research project was to develop a simple testing solution that didn’t require specialized training.

“We have shown in this study we can change the chemical structure and properties of THC — the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — using perhaps the simplest chemical means possible: electricity, to determine whether a person is impaired,” Garg said.

Darzi and Garg developed an oxidation process similar to the one used in an alcohol breathalyzer. They have not, however, created an actual testing device. Garg said his lab is interested in continuing its research and partnering with a company to develop testing device technology. Federal regulations around development of such technology at a university, however, could limit that progress, Garg said.