Your boss, your parents and even you will soon be able to measure how high you are, now that the University of British Columbia and Cannabix Technologies Inc. have partnered to develop a portable cannabis breathalyzer.

The THC Breath Analyzer will be a “low-cost portable breathalyzer device that would be ideally suited for workplace, parental and personal use testing.”

The machine probably won’t meet police standards, as a Cannabix release notes “the professional needs of law enforcement users (use at police stations and court acceptance) will likely differ from the needs of employers and civilian users.”

While other researchers have been trying to make their own marijuana breath tests, the most common way employers test for cannabis is through urine tests, with more unions advocating for hair tests after finding them to be much more effective.

Unlike the Cannabix FAIMS marijuana breathalyzer, which measures the mass of various drug compounds to show the prevalence of substances in the bloodstream, the new device will use “highly sensitive microfluidic sensors.”

Rav Mlait, CEO of Cannabix, said “the marijuana breathalyzer technology universe is in its early stages,” but he hopes the company will launch more products in the future to target specific groups of customers and meet evolving, evidence-based standards for breath tests.

The THC Breath Analyzer by Cannabix Technologies Inc. and the University of British Columbia will be made for employers, parents and users who want to measure their own THC levels. Cannabix Technologies Inc. - supplied

The analyzer is expected to be released by the end of the year, in time for when edibles are expected to hit store shelves.