U.S. Government Seeking Company To Study Marijuana Breathalyzer

The federal government is looking for a contractor to help test marijuana compounds in people's breath. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking a company to work on the project. This project will "extract breath samples from marijuana consumers who have inhaled fresh marijuana smoke or vapor at various intervals post-smoking," according to a document describing the project as part of the Federal Business Opportunities website. The agency will spend $1.5 million on this research contract until 2020. It received $15 million in funding from Congress this year after getting $10 million annually since 2017.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking a company to work on the project, which will "extract breath samples from marijuana consumers who have inhaled fresh marijuana smoke or vapor at various intervals post-smoking."

NHTSA is a federal agency that is part of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The mission of NHTSA is to reduce traffic deaths and injuries through leadership, research, education, and enforcement.

The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 established the NHTSA.

The agency has its headquarters in Washington, D.C., with ten regional offices across the country.

The contractor has to be able to recruit at least 30 people to "smoke low, medium, and high doses of THC" in controlled settings for the study, which will seek to understand how they can detect long traces of cannabis compounds in each participant's breath over time.

The experience and credentials required for the contract are listed as follows:

• Recruiting volunteers with previous experience smoking or inhaling marijuana from various sources (i.e., joints, pipes).
• Experience administering smoked and inhaled marijuana in controlled clinical trials.
• Experience recruiting people who use marijuana frequently enough to be considered regular users.

A document describing the project as part of the Federal Business Opportunities website specified that the contractor "must have experience in administering smoked and inhaled marijuana in controlled clinical trials and have prior access to a well-characterized population of cannabis users."

A second document on the same website noted, "An important aspect of this contract is collecting data from participants who are non-users of cannabis."

The agency will spend $1.5 million on the research contract until 2020. It received $15 million in funding from Congress this year after getting $10 million annually since 2017.

While the federal government has not yet legalized marijuana, it is taking its first steps to study and test for the presence of cannabinoids in people's breath.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced Thursday in a news release that it will spend $1.5 million on a research contract. A deal with an Allermed Research & Consulting Company LLC is so it can better understand how much marijuana remains in people's breath after consuming it. The agency will spend $1.5 million on the research contract until 2020. It received $15 million in funding from Congress this year after getting $10 million annually since 2017.

The project is one of several recently funded by NIDA dedicated to researching ways to detect drugs beyond urine or blood tests. Consumers who want to avoid detection while driving or working under certain conditions can easily manipulate both methods and use them as evidence against them when they break laws against those substances."

The federal government is eager to find ways to crack down on marijuana use while more states legalize it, and this new research effort is one more indication that they are pulling out all the stops.

The federal government is eager to find ways to crack down on marijuana use while more states legalize it, and this new research effort is one more indication that they are pulling out all the stops.

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that its Office of Behavioral Safety Research was seeking proposals from researchers who could help develop a roadside test for cannabis intoxication. A successful breathalyzer-type device would be a big win for law enforcement and public health. It would enable officers to identify stoned drivers quickly and discourage people from getting behind the wheel when drug use impairs their judgment.

Conclusion

This research project is one more sign of the federal government's commitment to cracking down on marijuana use, even as more and more states legalize it. Moreover, the fact that they are willing to spend $1.5 million on this project shows how serious they are about it.