Minnesota Launching Roadside Marijuana Testing
Law enforcement agencies in Minnesota are looking to have another crime-fighting tool at their disposal in 2024.
Sometime early next year, the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety is launching a pilot project to determine if roadside tests can effectively detect THC, the substance responsible for the effects of marijuana, in someone's saliva.
The saliva test would screen for a total of six substances, such as cannabis and opioids, using both the SoToxa Mobile Test System and Dräger DrugTest 5000, which have already been tested in other states.
Law enforcement agencies in Minnesota will use those two devices for field tests which will only determine recent THC use. Data from those tests will be compiled and presented to state lawmakers in 2025 in the hopes of establishing a new standard for THC impairment that can be enforced statewide.
Authorities say the test involves the swabbing of a suspect's mouth. The results of the test are usually known within five minutes.
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