Marijuana Breathalyzer Invented By Former B.C. Mountie | HuffPost

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Weed Breathalyzer Invented By Ex-Mountie

The Huffington Post B.C.

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A retired B.C. RCMP officer has spearheaded a breathalyzer designed to detect marijuana on a driver's breath.

Kal Malhi was inspired to develop the device after coming across a Swedish study about breath testing technology, according to the Delta Optimist.

The Langley man then partnered with Vancouver's Dr. Raj Attariwala and Florida's Dr. Bruce Goldberger to make the Cannabix Breathalyzer a reality.

Police currently use saliva, blood, and urine samples to test drivers for marijuana use, but thetests are unreliable because pot can stay in someone's system for several days, News 1130 reports. This makes it hard to figure out if the person was actually high when they were driving.

It's a problem because drivers think they won't get caught for smoking and driving, according to Malhi.

"People are becoming very afraid to drink and drive nowadays because they feel that they will get caught and charged, but they’re not afraid to drug and drive because they don't feel that law enforcement will do anything about it," he told CTV News.

The Cannabix Breathalyzer, which could potentially detect if the driver had used marijuana within the previous two hours, still has to go through field testing, the outlet said. A patent is pending.

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Medical Marijuana In Canada: Commercial Producer MediJean

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(01 of51)

MediJean, based in Richmond, B.C., has a licence from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(02 of51)

MediJean Chief Operating Officer Chris Dollard, left, and Chief Strategy Officer Anton Mattadeen stand inside a secure vault that will be used as a final holding area for marijuana being distributed at the medical marijuana facility in Richmond, B.C. The company currently has a license from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(03 of51)

Marijuana plant strains are held in jars as MediJean senior lab technician Sultana Kamruzzahan works in the research and tissue culture development lab at the medical marijuana facility in Richmond, B.C. Cultures from every strain of the plant grown at the facility are stored for research and later production. MediJean has a licence from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(04 of51)

MediJean, based in Richmond, B.C., has a licence from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(05 of51)

MediJean, based in Richmond, B.C., has a licence from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(06 of51)

Marijuana plant strains are held in jars as MediJean lab manager Abdul Ahad works in the research and tissue culture development lab at the medical marijuana facility in Richmond, B.C. Cultures from every strain of the plant grown at the facility are stored for research and later production. MediJean has a licence from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(07 of51)

MediJean, based in Richmond, B.C., has a licence from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(08 of51)

MediJean, based in Richmond, B.C., has a licence from Health Canada to grow marijuana for research and development purposes. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

MediJean, Richmond, B.C.(09 of51)

MediJean Chief Operating Officer Chris Dollard, left, and Chief Strategy Officer Anton Mattadeen. (credit:Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

(10 of51)

The Tweed Inc. medical marijuana facility is across the street from the Smith’s Falls police detachment. The police have toured the plant and had one request: don’t put a giant marijuana leaf on the front of the building. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(11 of51)

Tweed CEO Chuck Rifici stands in front of the hydroponics centre. The black vats contain fertilizer, while the silver ones are refurbished sugar containers from the Hershey’s operation which now contain water. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(12 of51)

Tweed has been busy transforming the former chocolate factory into a massive marijuana growing operation that will cover 150,000 square feet. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(13 of51)

A Tweed employee re-pots some plants in the “mother room,” home to the 1,300 starter plants that are used to propagate more. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(14 of51)

Rifici stands in front of the company’s 5,000-square-foot vault that can store up to 15 million grams, or $150 million-worth, of dried marijuana. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(15 of51)

Each of Tweed’s plants is labelled with a bar code identifying its strain and origin so that it can be traced throughout the growing process. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(16 of51)

A view of Tweed’s mother room, where plants are subjected to 24 hours of light each day to encourage growth. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(17 of51)

Rifici stands in front of the highly secure and sanitary mother room. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(18 of51)

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are Tweed’s biggest expense, but the company also uses low-tech fans from Canadian Tire to keep air flowing. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(19 of51)

The entrance to the Tweed facility. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(20 of51)

The golden letters that once adorned the front of the Hershey’s factory now lie in an unused corner of the building. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(21 of51)

The old Hershey’s Canada plant was shuttered in 2008, putting some 600 people out of work. (credit:Joe O'Connal)

(22 of51)

(credit:Joe O'Connal)

Canada - 12.2 Per Cent(23 of51)

3,429,678 peopleThese are the StatsCan totals for Canadians age 15 years and older in the 12 months of 2012. Use included cannabis and hashish. (credit:Getty)

10. Saskatchewan - 10.1 Per Cent(24 of51)

81,676 people (credit:Flickr:Just a Prairie Boy)

9. P.E.I. - 10.4 Per Cent(25 of51)

12,437 people (credit:Getty)

8. New Brunswick - 11 Per Cent(26 of51)

68,444 people (credit:Getty)

7. Newfoundland And Labrador - 11.1 Per Cent(27 of51)

47,344 people (credit:Flickr: magnolia1000)

6. Quebec - 11.5 Per Cent(28 of51)

763,278 people

5. Manitoba - 11.5 Per Cent(29 of51)

110,235 people (credit:Flickr:Jezz)

4. Alberta - 11.8 Per Cent(30 of51)

361,247 people (credit:Alamy)

3. Ontario - 12.1 Per Cent(31 of51)

1,331,299 people (credit:Getty)

2. B.C. - 14.2 Per Cent(32 of51)

538,434 people (credit:Alamy)

1. Nova Scotia - 14.8 Per Cent(33 of51)

115,285 peopleTrailer Park Boys thesis proved. (credit:Getty)

Pot price by province and select U.S. states(34 of51)

This data is based on crowdsourced averages from PriceOfWeed.com. Numbers are for "high quality" weed, as identified by submitters. (credit:Getty Images)

Quebec: $191.51 per ounce(35 of51)

Cheapest weed in Canada. (credit:Shutterstock)

Prince Edward Island: $193.29 per ounce(36 of51)

(credit:Shutterstock)

New Brunswick: $193.90 per ounce(37 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

British Columbia: $200.07 per ounce(38 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

Oregon: $214.79 per ounce(39 of51)

Cheapest weed in the U.S. (credit:Getty Images)

Alberta: $226.55 per ounce(40 of51)

(credit:Shutterstock)

Manitoba: $227.86 per ounce(41 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

Ontario: $237.24 per ounce(42 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

Saskatchewan: $239.31 per ounce(43 of51)

(credit:Shutterstock)

California: $249.79 per ounce(44 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

Yukon: $253.75(45 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

Nova Scotia: $272.26 per ounce(46 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

Newfoundland and Labrador: $292.73 per ounce(47 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

Northwest Territories: $333.33 per ounce(48 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

New York State: $353.90 per ounce(49 of51)

(credit:Getty Images)

North Dakota: $415.89 per ounce(50 of51)

Most expensive weed in the U.S. (credit:Getty Images)

Nunavut: $783.86(51 of51)

Most expensive weed in Canada. (credit:Getty Images)

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bc rcmp breathalyzer British Columbia Cannabix Breathalyzer Dr. Bruce Goldberger

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