Shahroze Rauf | Assistant News Editor
Featured Image: Roadside detection for THC could get quicker and more advanced very soon. | Courtesy of Pexels
Lassonde Assistant Professor Nima Tabatabaei and his team of researchers have developed and tested new technology for on-site THC detection.
The device tests saliva for THC levels by using heat signatures of gold nanoparticles that are attached to THC molecules.
“When something absorbs the sun’s light, it’s going to heat up. It’s the same concept,” Tabatabaei says. “You excite a sample optically. This excitation creates heat that inspects your sample. You’ll pick up the signal again optically through an infrared camera. This is thermo-photonics.”
Tabatabaei says that he has worked on energy conversion since he was a PhD student.
“We’ve recently been working on cellphone attachment infrared cameras that you can buy for $250,” Tabatabaei adds. A low cost compared to the $100,000 camera he used during his PhD.
According to Tabatabaei, the results may not be the same, but the performance is still reasonably good. This way, the device can be commercialized, as cost is a huge obstacle in trying to mass-produce.
Due to their recent achievements, the research team also received a grant of $125,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s “Idea to Innovation” Program.
However, some students do not believe such funding is necessary, as driving under the influence of cannabis is not a big issue right now.
“I don’t think it’s that necessary. It’s not top-priority. I haven’t heard cases of high-driving. From my understanding, when people are crazy-high, no one’s like ‘let’s drive,’” says fourth-year communications studies student Lorenzo Queano.
But in a study by Public Safety Canada, 81 per cent of Canadians know someone who has used cannabis, and 56 per cent have consumed cannabis themselves. Twenty-eight per cent of those who have smoked pot report having operated a vehicle while high.
And funding is only one step in trying to get a device like this out on the streets for roadside detection. According to Tabatabaei, innovations like this must go through intensive testing to be approved for further testing on actual suspects by organizations like the Canadian Society of Forensic Science, the RCMP, and the Canadian government.
One of the current devices being used across Canada to test THC levels in saliva is the Dräger DrugTest® 5000. The device was approved for use by the federal government last year in August.
“That’s probably the most sensitive portable device that is out there. And the government of Canada did a lot of research,” Tabatabaei says.
But according to a study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, the device is not always accurate. The study reported that for over 300 Norwegian drivers, false positive results by the Dräger DrugTest® 5000 compared to blood tests was 14.5 per cent for cannabis—a large proportion as concluded by the study.
“No system is 100 per cent reliable. That’s one of the key points of our system. Our false positives are very infrequent and that is happening because of energy conversion.”
Tabatabaei says his new technology can allow law enforcement to test on-site efficiently and keep roads safer, quicker, and with more accuracy.
For now, Tabatabaei and his team are working to reduce the size and cost of their technology. If things progress well in terms of funding and testing, their device could be commercially available in two years.
