With the legalization of recreational use of cannabis in Canada, concerns of impaired driving or impaired operators in critical operations prompted the adoption of zero-tolerance policy. This will requires the law-enforcement agencies to regularly carry out presumptive tests to determine the cannabinoid presence in random tests. The oral fluid drug screening devices to detect drug-impaired driving were used in the recent pilot study carried out in Canada. These devices are based on immunoassay and require collection of large amount of oral fluid from test subject. A recent study which examines the point-of-contact (POC) devices for potential use in the enforcement of drug-impaired driving in Canada pointed out the following necessary criteria for suitable POC devices. The device needs to meet analytical criteria of accuracy, sensitivity and specificity as well as ease of operation, portability and the ability of the POC to discern multiple impairment agents (not just the THC). As of now, there is no recommended screening device as being adequate for use in law enforcement. In this presentation, we will highlight an alternative technology for the detection of cannabinoids and other impairment agents that is based on the Raman spectroscopy coupled with engineered nanomaterials and tailored surface chemistry. We will describe sensors based on surface enhanced Raman scattering principles and discuss the surface chemistry designed to improve the detection sensitivity. This technology relies directly on the detection and identification of molecular finger-prints from the molecules present in either liquid or vapor phase. We will also describe the preparation of the engineered nanostructure tailored for detection of THC and discuss its advantages for the road-side screening operation.<br/>

Alternative sensor for the screening of cannabinoids with a hand-held device

2019 Fall National Meeting

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