Recreational marijuana becomes legal in Massachusetts on December 15 but right now, there is no way to legally measure marijuana impairment of drivers. However, a professor at UMass Boston says he’s created an app for just that.
The app is called Druid and it’s available for the iPad. Creator Dr. Michael Milburn says it’s a way to measure if someone is driving under the influence.
“This app is a general tool to measure impairment,” Milburn explained.
Milburn said he got the idea 7 months ago as the controversy over ballot Question Four was just beginning in Massachusetts.
The app is a series of tests that take about 5 minutes.
“Measuring skills that are important for driving reaction time hand eye coordination decision making balance,” Milburn explained.
The Harvard trained researcher says it may be the answer for police departments that are looking for a clear way to figure out if someone is too high to drive.
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“Even if they haven’t had any alcohol we're able to tell if a person - what the equivalent blood alcohol concentrate would be for their level of impairment,” Milburn said.
The Druid app is being studied by Brown Medical School. Milburn says he is also giving it to other researchers so that they can study it's effectiveness.
