Back in September 2016, Hound Labs Inc. field-tested its marijuana breathalyzer, becoming the first to be tested by law enforcement at the roadside. Additionally, ongoing tests of the company’s proprietary technology with marijuana users resulted in a massive breakthrough – the first time that a portable breathalyzer can detect and measure recently consumed tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in breath from consumption of both smoked and edible marijuana products. Until now, law enforcement relied on imperfect data from methods that measure marijuana in saliva, urine, and blood. The results are unhelpful because they measure the presence of marijuana for days after a driver is actually impaired. The Hound™ breathalyzer will give law enforcement immediate measurements for the few hours that THC is present in breath, allowing them to identify drivers who are actually impaired from recent use. This will ultimately reduce collisions and fatalities, which are on the rise with the increase in marijuana consumption. Hound Labs, Inc. will continue to conduct rigorous testing, which includes ongoing roadside tests with multiple California law enforcement agencies.
“The Hound™ marijuana breathalyzer is exactly the tool that we need to address the existing issue of marijuana-impaired driving on our roads,” said Patrick Walsh, Chief of Police in Lompoc, California. “I have been involved in hundreds of driving under the influence (DUI) arrests throughout my career and know that law enforcement, from both large cities and small communities, is clamoring for a device that can easily be used with existing protocols, while providing objective measurements on recent marijuana use. We are looking for the least invasive way to obtain information that indicates impairment, which is why we are participating in roadside tests. We don’t want to arrest people who are not impaired, and yet we don’t want marijuana users driving if they are high from recent use.”
In December 2015, Hound Labs, Inc. became the first company to develop a proprietary scientific method to not only detect THC in breath but also to measure it in parts per trillion (picograms). The unique capabilities of the Hound™ breathalyzer offers a solution for addressing the growing issue of marijuana-impaired drivers in a manner that aligns with the interests of law enforcement, legislators, pro-marijuana advocates, and the estimated 33 million adult users of marijuana. No one wants drivers detained or wrongfully arrested because residual THC was detected days or even weeks after use. That’s the fundamental flaw of current detection methods that rely on tests of bodily fluids such as saliva, blood, and urine – methods that cannot isolate recent use because they detect THC long after the window of impairment. Measuring THC in breath is the only method that isolates recent use and provides the measurements legislators need to craft meaningful legislation that avoids wrongful arrests and assures users that they will not be subjected to unnecessary tests of their saliva and blood which do not correlate with impairment.
“We have deep experience solving complex scientific and technical problems and we are excited to work with Hound Labs to realize their vision of bringing forensic lab capabilities to the field,” commented Joe Heanue, CEO and Co-Founder of Triple Ring Technologies, the high-tech engineering firm that has formed a strategic partnership with Hound Labs, Inc. “In a relatively short period of time we have been able to leverage our extensive team of scientists and engineers to translate Hound Labs’ breakthrough science into a working prototype that can be used effectively, at the roadside, while incorporating their proprietary technology that has been validated against mass spectrometry, the gold standard of laboratory measurements.”
“It is very rewarding, both professionally and personally, to identify the need for a product that will save countless lives, to develop the solution to an incredibly difficult scientific challenge, and then to create the product – the only marijuana breathalyzer that can measure THC in breath with results that match the best laboratory equipment,” said Dr. Mike Lynn, CEO and Co-Founder of Hound Labs, Inc. “I feel very fortunate that I have been able to use my experience both as an active reserve deputy sheriff and as a practicing ER physician to create a device that affordably solves an escalating public health crisis. For the first time, communities across the country will have access to the science and technology required to tackle the growing costs that result from people driving under the influence of marijuana.”
