Sniffing Out THC     
    
   Bad enough that drivers have to share the roads with inebriated people. And those who text and drive.

   Now there's a new class of compromised folks behind the wheel. Marijuana users.

   There isn't a test to detect THC on the streets and highways, as there is for alcohol. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are responding to the need.

   They have developed a breathalyzer device that can measure the amount of THC. It uses carbon nanotubes - tiny tubes of carbon 100,000 times smaller than a human hair. (We take their word for it.) 

   THC molecules bind to the surface of the nanotubes and change their electrical properties. The speed at which electrical currents recover signals whether THC is present. (We take their word for it.) 

   Chemistry and engineering researchers at Pitt "teach" the breathalyzer to recognize THC, even when alcohol also is present. (We take their word for it.)

   They will keep testing the prototype in the hope that it soon will be manufactured and available for use. 

   Question: Did students actually get high in the lab to test their work?

   Next: Legal debates about what levels of THC would amount to a DUI. That might be more difficult than developing the breathalyzer.   

Tigers Won Last Night  

   Told ya! 

        Jimmy