Whitefish, MT / September 10, 2014 / The gradual proliferation of alcohol breathalyzer technology has helped bring down the per unit price so far that professional-grade technology, like the kind developed by Akers Biosciences, Inc. (AKER), is now being marketed directly to consumers. Touted as a safety measure, as well as a means of avoiding the high cost and complications of a DUI/DWI, alcohol breathalyzers are becoming a proactive tool, used by consumers to help them more confidently enjoy an intoxicating product on their own terms.

French law, for instance, already mandates that drivers carry a breathalyzer. A striking fact in light of the recent report out of Wintergreen Research indicating that the $284.6M global market for breathalyzers (as of 2011) is on-track to hit $3.2B within the next four years. One of the most trusted brands, BACtrack, has even made it their mission to get an alcohol breathalyzer into the hands of everyone, offering a range of personal and pro-grade devices from around $50 to $150, including smartphone compatible devices.

Unmet Need By Law Enforcement & Employers

Just as with the proliferation of breathalyzers in the alcohol industry, a marijuana breathalyzer could go a long ways towards subduing concerns from legislators and law enforcement agencies about the widespread use, let alone total legalization of marijuana. It's an especially pertinent issue for states like Alaska, Oregon and Washington DC, where legalization of recreational marijuana is up for vote in November. This is legislation that has strong tailwinds too, like an estimated $40M in tax revenue expected if Oregonians approve the measure there.

A publication in the journal Clinical Chemistry from 2012 (Cannabis Effects on Driving Skills), which looked at brain chemistry and driving under the influence of THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes intoxication), indicated that blood concentrations of 5 nanograms per milliliter was sufficient to produce substantial driving impairment, particularly in occasional smokers. With more states moving in the direction of open legalization, cross-border intoxicated drivers could also become an issue. As companies like American Green, Inc. (OTC:ERBB) are rolling out marijuana vending machines, it is likely starting to dawn on legislators that the THC genie is out of the bottle, and an intelligent response in coordination with law enforcement officials is needed. Employers must also adapt to the changing tides, but stand to benefit in terms of employee good faith and retention if they can implement more reasonable spot checks using a marijuana breathalyzer, as opposed to more invasive urine testing that analyzes a much longer period of time.

While some debate still remains regarding impairment and different levels of THC (5ng/ml in Colorado and Washington), National Institute on Drug Abuse data shows that THC ranks second after alcohol in the blood of impaired drivers, as well as crash victims and auto fatalities. A report out of Columbia University this year points to over a decade's worth of data from six states where routine toxicological testing on drivers in fatal car crashes indicates a sharp, three-fold rise in non-alcohol drugs detected among drivers who tested positive for marijuana, suggesting drugged driving may be playing a growing role in vehicular fatalities. Currently, U.S. law enforcement still relies heavily on difficult to scale solutions like the Drug Recognition Expert Program (around 200 currently active DREs, 51 under Colorado State Patrol), which specially trains officers to recognize drug impairment.

Cannabix Breathalyzer - A Disruptive Technology

The existence of a marijuana breathalyzer is quite possibly the next major step towards normalization of more widespread marijuana use being allowed as such a device would offer a ready means of addressing key sticking points that have kept industry, legislators and law enforcement from agreeing on how best to regulate cannabis. It's a matter which grows more pressing by the day, with marijuana now legal for medical use in 23 U.S. states including DC and a market of around $1.5B in 2013 that is pegged to jump 73% this year to around $2.6B. Stack those figures up against Health Canada revenue estimates indicating that the Canadian commercial marijuana market could grow to over C$1.3B within the next decade on the backs of some 450k plus users and you have a target-rich market emerging in North America that is ripe for the advent of a pot breathalyzer.

Story continues