SBIR-STTR Award

The intoxicating effects of marijuana are of public safety concern. With the expected increase in the use of this substance it is important to provide law-enforcement officials with a simple driver test for its detection. Because of the presence of the intoxication agent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vapor in the exhaled breath of marijuana users, it is possible to confirm marijuana intoxication via breath test, but this test must be simple, rapid and reliable. Since the unique infrared spectral signature of THC is known, it is possible to quantitatively measure the presence of this compound in exhaled breath by means of infrared absorption spectroscopy. Recent developments make it possible to rapidly analyze the spectral absorption characteristics of THC vapors introduced into an optical adsorption cell. Phase I will demonstrate concept feasibility by using an infrared absorption spectroscopy system to measure the absorption spectrum of marijuana smoke over a broad range of quantitatively established THC concentrations. Phase II will refine instrument design and validate its efficacy by testing the exhaled breath of an ensemble of marijuana users at various time intervals after smoking cessation. Successful completion of both phases of this project will pave the way for rapid commercialization of this new instrument.

The intoxicating effects of marijuana are of concern to the law enforcement community as well as to the general manufacturing, service and commerce community where employees may need to be screened for intoxication. A reliable method to quantitatively measure the amount of the intoxicating agent delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in suspected marijuana users is needed. The proposed innovative approach facilitates rapid measurement of the amount of THC in the exhaled breath of suspected subjects by collecting the exhaled THC aerosols in an infrared-transparent filter membrane and then analyzing the infrared spectral absorption of that membrane with tunable laser spectroscopy (TLS). Phase I demonstrated that this new analytical tool can distinguish between the spectral absorption features of THC and those of other nonintoxicating agents like cannabidiol (CBD) and cigarette smoke, thereby preventing false positive readings. Phase II will develop, produce and demonstrate a prototype exhaled breath analyzer (THC-VoxTM) capableof measuring the nanogram quantities of THC contained in the exhaled breath of intoxicated marijuana users. This will be followed by a comprehensive Phase IIB clinical study demonstrating that TLS can identify THC intoxicated individuals, thereby paving the way towards commercialization of this new technology by introduction of the new THC-VoxTM exhaled breath analyzer.