Imagine this: You’re driving down the road listening to your favourite music & out of nowhere an automobile swerves into your lane. Your heart in your throat, you avoid a near collision. Rumours later circulate claiming the other driver was high on cannabis. Ladies and gentlemen, we got a wild west out here Marijuana Impairment Test.

Marijuana’s effects are like snowflakes—no two are exactly alike. While one person is slug on a Sunday (your humble author). A second will feel like they’re on Mars during the same movie. It makes developing a test that works for all seem like a coon chase. Unlike alcohol, where your blood alcohol content (BAC) gives a pretty good picture, Mary Jane doesn’t like playing that game. It takes up residence in your body, packing for a trip far after the high takes its bowlsad exit.

It wasn’t very long ago, that marijuana breathalyzers were a thing of science fiction. But just like mad scientists, researchers have been hard at work looking for a reliable method. Saliva testing, blood tests, even apps claiming to determine impairment by the touch of a stylus to a screen. It’s a potpourri of ideas!

I know a man who swears he can tell if someone is high by looking at their shoe laces. No joke! But that type of approach makes it hard to gain traction, let’s say legitimacy. Law enforcement faces a real problem here. The balance of public safety is on one side and personal liberties and rights on the other. The problem is as clear as mud.

Have you ever tried explaining to Nana why you can’t drive after toking up at her Thanksgiving dinner? That blank stare says it all. Education, still a major players in this unfolding story. We’re stumbling in the dark not having a clue about the reaction & how they jive so well in every single one of us.

After a joint, my friend thought he could climb a tree back in college. Spoiler: branches snapped. Our main enemy comes in the form of pretention. Just because you feel like you have powers doesn’t mean you’re Superman.