DriverCheck Inc.<\/a>, which provides medical testing and assessments, held a Fitness for Duty Summit in Milton, Ont. on Oct. 3 and 4, ahead of the Oct. 17 legalization date.<\/p>\nConnor Page, business development manager at DriverCheck, hosted a session billed as the Quest for an Impairment Test, where he discussed available and emerging technologies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here to tell you that we\u2019ll get better and I\u2019ll tell you why \u2014 because we\u2019re on the quest for an impairment test, a quest I would argue that should have been completed prior to legalization,\u201d said Page. \u201cThe future is bright because there are new and emerging devices that are on the market or almost on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
The legalization of cannabis has been a little rushed, he noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite extensive industry pressure from a coalition of companies, the government has basically been silent on workplace safety and they have not equipped any of you with the tools you need to maintain a healthy and safe workplace,\u201d said Page.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to result in a patchwork of a variety of standards from different industries across Canada. This is all going to have to be resolved through arbitrations and court cases and it\u2019s going to take years to figure out what can we do to maintain a healthy and safe workplace,\u201d said Page.<\/p>\n
He discussed a few examples of companies focused on finding solutions for impairment testing and assessment tools of the future. Tests measure the level of THC, the component of the marijuana that impairs, in a variety of ways including oral fluid, breathalyzers and cognitive assessment tools.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever we discuss today may not go into effect until five years down the road,\u201d said Page. \u201cIt won\u2019t be a one-size-fits-all. There are going to be many different solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Medella Health is developing an oral fluid device using nanotechnology that is an electrochemical sensor instead of the traditional instant tests that are being used today, explained Page.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are hoping to get a quantitative result available in 10 minutes, so not just is it negative or is it positive, but an actual quantitative measure of cannabis in the system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A program through York University called Innovation York also has an oral fluid device in development. It uses thermal imaging to improve the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the instant test.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is really cool about this is that we can use the existing instant tests that we have. What they\u2019re doing is producing a new reader to read those tests,\u201d said Page, adding the test would be inexpensive to roll out across Canada. \u201cThis could be a game-changer. It could be very effective for workplace programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cannabix Technologies and Hound Labs are both developing breathalyzers.<\/p>\n
\u201cCannabix uses mass spectrometry technology, the exact same technology that is used in the lab today. They are taking a massive half-a-million-dollar piece of equipment and making it roadside,\u201d Page explained. \u201cHound Labs is actually combining the alcohol and the cannabis breathalyzer together.\u201d<\/p>\n
StannTek is using an electro chemical nano sensor that outputs a signal when the THC molecule is present and the signal changes based on the concentration of the THC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means they are able to get a quantitative level,\u201d said Page, adding it would also be portable. \u201cThe window of detection they\u2019re looking for is two to six hours for breath \u2014 acute impairment \u2014 and it\u2019s focused on workplace applications.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also talked about cognitive assessment tools. Workplace Impairment Solutions is taking what law enforcement is doing and trying to apply that to the workplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have developed a DRE (Drug Recognition Expert)-like training program that companies can use to train designated people in their company,\u201d said Page.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir training package is complete but their app is still in development. You use the app to record your observations and it will tell you whether this individual is impaired or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to have more defensible positions for arbitrations and court cases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another cognitive device is in development by Zentrela, an Ontario Centre of Excellence-funded company. They are thinking of using it as a confirmatory test, Page indicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole idea behind this is impairment is impairment. I don\u2019t care how much THC you have in your system, I am going to look at your brain waves,\u201d Page said. \u201cThis solves the problem of you of getting an agreed cut off level of THC in the system to be considered impairment.\u201d<\/p>\n
DriveABLE has two products, one is market-ready and the other is in development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis company evolved from an eight-year research study out of the University of Alberta,\u201d said Page. \u201cThe market-ready product is a computer-based cognitive tool that is used as a screening tool to identify driver risk from drug use, medical issues and other forms of impairment.\u201d<\/p>\n
In development is a mobile tool that can screen for broader impairment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the legalization of cannabis coming into effect in a week, there is widespread concern in the construction industry surrounding fitness for duty, but one organization says new innovations in impairment testing are on the horizon. DriverCheck Inc., which provides medical testing and assessments, held a Fitness for Duty Summit in Milton, Ont. on Oct. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":178302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"saved","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[14],"tags":[1105,1279,10189,26649,516,26646,11455,19358,26645,26647,26644,17216,16773,12135,21726,1006,1878,20640,26648,13474,12914],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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