THC Breathalyzer Could Soon Become a Reality
Cannabis users have long had one escape route when it comes to drug testing: edibles. Unlike smoking or vaping, where THC hits the lungs and bloodstream almost instantly, edibles move through the digestive system, making them notoriously hard to trace—especially through breath.
But that loophole may be closing.
Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) say they’ve cracked the code: for the first time, THC from edibles has been detected in a person’s breath. It’s a major shift in cannabis science, and it could reshape how roadside tests and workplace policies treat edibles going forward.
Edibles fly under the radar—until now
THC breathalyzers already exist in prototype form for detecting recent smoking or vaping. That’s because inhaled cannabis delivers THC directly to the lungs, where trace particles can be detected for several hours. Edibles, however, are a different story.
When eaten, THC is absorbed through the stomach and processed by the liver, turning into a metabolite called 11-hydroxy-THC. It hits harder and lasts longer—but doesn’t go near your lungs in the same way. Until now, scientists assumed this route made edibles nearly invisible to breath tests.
NIST’s breakthrough changes that assumption.
How they pulled it off
Using high-sensitivity equipment, the researchers managed to detect trace levels of THC in breath samples even after edible consumption. The full technical process hasn’t been released yet, but the key point is clear: edible THC does reach the breath in small amounts—it’s just taken cutting-edge tools to find it.
That opens the door to future breathalyzers that could pick up on cannabis use regardless of how it was consumed.
What this could mean
For regular edible users, the implications are big. If this technology advances, breath tests may no longer be limited to catching people who just smoked a joint. You could eat a gummy and still end up on the radar—potentially even hours later.
This could change everything from DUI enforcement to workplace drug testing policies. But there’s still one major catch: detection isn’t the same as impairment. Just because THC is present in the breath doesn’t mean someone is still feeling the effects.
That’s a legal and scientific gray area that regulators and courts will have to wrestle with as the technology evolves.
