By Luke Sumpter


Innovative companies are working on more accurate ways to test for cannabis impairment. By using neurotechnology that measures brainwaves, employers and law enforcement agencies of the future could obtain more accurate insights into how stoned people truly are. While antiquated THC measuring devices use blood and saliva analises to test for traces of cannabis, they do little to elucidate a person’s mental state.

Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the startup Zentrela is looking to change the game when it comes to cannabis impairment testing. By harnessing neural signals and machine learning, the company aims to provide a more accurate alternative to current methods.

Founder Israel Gasperin created the company after graduating from McMaster University. Recognising the faults in urine, saliva, and blood sample testing, he sought to measure the effects of compounds like THC on the brain, rather than the quantity of the molecules themselves in fluid samples.

But this technology opens up other doors in the cannabis industry. Besides clearing up the murky waters of impairment testing, neurotechnology can help businesses analise and log the objective effects that their creations have on the brain.

Companies are looking to quantify how their "cannabis 2.0" products, such as extracts and edibles, affect the brain to create concrete selling points. Alongside cannabinoid and terpene profiles, you might soon find brainwave information alongside your favourite cannabis preparations.

Continue reading as we unravel the problems with current cannabis impairment testing methods, how neurotechnology will add huge improvements in this area, and if brainwave analysis will become an impressive marketing tool.

The Problem With Current THC Testing Methods

Consuming high-THC cannabis results in a pleasant and euphoric "high". While suitable for enjoying in verdant meadows or on your living room couch, sitting stoned behind the wheel of a car or controls of heavy machinery poses a significant risk. Cannabis and cannabinoid research shows that THC impairs executive function, motor control, and reaction time.[1]

For this reason, employers and law enforcement are tasked with testing employees and members of the public when the situation calls for it. Drivers in Canada, for example, face prosecution if blood THC tests measure as low as 2 nanograms (ng) per ml of blood.[2] Authorities in the country also use urine and saliva tests to follow up on blood test results.

Police in Scotland utilise “DrugWipes” roadside testing kits to identify impaired drivers. These mouth swab kits test for a wide range of substances, including cannabis, with a near zero-tolerance limit.[3]

The Problem With Current THC Testing Methods

While these testing procedures assign a number to the level of THC or its metabolites in different bodily fluids, they don’t indicate what’s happening in the mind. No direct correlation exists between the concentration of these molecules and the psychotropic experience happening within a person’s head. Not to mention, researchers are calling the validity of saliva samples into question, and point to risks of disease transmission in regard to urine testing.[4]

Employees that work in safety-sensitive industries are also required to undergo regular THC drug testing to ensure a safe work environment. In the United States, federal workers within railroad, transit, aviation, and highway sectors are subject to random THC drug testing, and must also face tests following “reasonable cause or suspicion” of impairment.[5]

However, the problems with current testing methods mean workers could flag up positive on the job because of lingering metabolites, without feeling high and with their motor skills fully intact.

Of course, many employers don’t care whether their workers smoked a joint one week or ten minutes ago. But the problem becomes even more apparent when weighing up the legal implications. Drivers and workers face reputational damage, job loss, and legal fines based on the level of cannabinoid metabolites in their blood, not on how impaired they are behind the wheel or while operating a machine.

Zentrela hopes to solve this issue using technology that bypasses bodily fluids and instead peers into the mind.

The Solution: Enter the Cognalyzer

It might sound like some kind of thought-stealing contraption from Orwell’s 1984, but the Cognalyzer does away with residual metabolites and takes a look at the state of a person’s brain activity.

Zentrela managed to raise $1.2 million from an array of nonprofits and government bodies to build the novel electroencephalogram (EEG). The Cognalyzer has now surpassed the status of a mere idea. The company commissioned research into the efficacy of their device; the results from the 2021 study are available in the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Therapy.[6]

The paper includes a summary of the research, including the main objective: “Current standards for identifying impairment are based on body fluid testing to detect recent cannabis use and behavioural assessments; therefore, determining cannabis impairment with accuracy and objectivity is crucial as legalization has increased use”.

The authors also state the importance of neurotechnology in cannabis testing, stressing that current testing methods can detect metabolites in bodily fluid days after ingestion, and even in cases of passive exposure.

The Solution: Enter the Cognalyzer

During the study, researchers placed ten EEG electrodes onto the participants' heads and took a 2.5-minute baseline recording with the Cognalyzer, which streamed data via Bluetooth to a nearby laptop. They also took an additional oral fluid sample from underneath the tongue.

The team then used two different algorithms—V1 and V2—to analise the brainwave data and provide diagnostic results. Impressively, both algorithms clocked in with an accuracy of over 80%. The researchers also measured for sensitivity (the ability of the test to correctly identify impaired participants) and specificity (the ability of the test to correctly identify non-impaired participants). The Cognalyzer scored 87% and 84% in these areas, respectively, using V1.

The researchers also tested the diagnostic accuracy of oral fluid samples alone, and the Cognaylzer and oral fluid samples in conjunction. Overall, they found that combining the Cognalyzer with oral fluid testing for THC improved diagnostic performance. In regard to neurotechnology, they concluded the Cognalyzer “..is a novel and reliable cannabis detection tool that has potential to be administered both roadside and in the workplace”.

Can the Cognalyzer Change Consumer Education?

The uses of the Cognalyzer don’t stop at impairment testing. Investors are curious about leveraging the data produced by the device to accurately chart the effects of cannabis 2.0 products such as edibles and extracts. Jornic Ventures, an investment group from Calgary, is so confident in this approach that they poured $850,000 into Zentrela purely for this reason.

Instead of THC values, terpene profiles, and user reviews, Zentrela wants to pair cannabis products with brainwave data. Testing participants under the influence of a host of oils, concentrates, edibles, and tinctures will enable the company to build a database that documents the effects of individual items. The company plans on licencing this data to retailers, which will help outlets such as dispensaries give consumers a much more detailed view of how each product will affect them and what they can expect.

The Sci-Fi Future of THC Testing Is Approaching

Don’t expect to see traffic cops and employers deploying Cognalyzer tests just yet. It’ll take a lot more refinement, cannabis research and development, data collection, and convincing until these devices hit the streets and workplaces.

However, these early steps are a promising sign that cannabis impairment testing will change for the better, in a way that benefits users. It seems likely that the product data generated by this technology will impact retail much sooner. As consumers still get to grips with the concept of chemovars and cultivars, it seems they’ll have to get the hang of a new way to classify the cannabis high soon too.

External Resources:
  1. High-Potency Marijuana Impairs Executive Function and Inhibitory Motor Control | Neuropsychopharmacology https://www.nature.com
  2. How do police test for cannabis-impairment? - FREE Legal Information | Legal Line https://www.legalline.ca
  3. Police roadside testing kits introduced ahead of new drug driving regulations – SDF – Scottish Drugs Forum https://www.sdf.org.uk
  4. Correlation between Blood and Oral Fluid Psychoactive Drug Concentrations and Cognitive Impairment in Driving under the Influence of Drugs - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. Considerations for Safety- and Security-sensitive Industries | SAMHSA https://www.samhsa.gov
  6. Sensitivity, Specificity and Accuracy of a Novel EEG-Based Objective Test, the Cognalyzer®, in Detecting Cannabis Psychoactive Effects | SpringerLink https://link.springer.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: