Activist wants pot testers in schools
New device detects THC on objects, edibles
Anti-pot advocate Pamela McColl is bringing to B.C. a pot-testing tool she hopes will be used by school boards and parents across the province.
McColl, who is chair of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said the “spotlit” was essentially a swab that allows the user to wipe anything — candy, the end of a vape pen or a brownie — and within 20 seconds know whether the product has THC in it (THC being the psychoactive component of cannabis).
She said she came across the product while watching the Today show on NBC, in which a presenter arranged for the kit to be tested on a cookie, gummy bear and student backpack.
The swabs, which are made in Colorado, turn red when THC is identified.
“When I saw that I immediately contacted the manufacturer, because I thought what a great tool. This tool in 20 seconds can tell you what’s on the end of a vape pen, or what’s been in a kid’s pocket, or in a brownie or in a liquid, or in a gummy bear,” she said.
The product has just been released in Canada.
“We are trying to get them into stores, but also in different places,” said McColl, adding she showcased the product at the Wellness Show in Vancouver over the weekend.
One of those places is in schools across B.C. She said she would start by approaching the Vancouver school board.
McColl said the kits are already used in some schools in the U.S., as well as by police in Denver, Colo.
“It’s non-intrusive, it equips parents with an inexpensive product. It’s not a saliva swab. I think it could be really helpful as a tool to open up conversations for parents to see what their kids are using. I’m going to be approaching school trustees.”
McColl said her particular concern was vape pens that are increasingly being used in B.C. schools to consume marijuana, nicotine and flavours.
“It’s a big problem in this country; schools are really struggling with this,” she said.
Vaping involves using a device with a battery-powered electric coil to heat any of a number of liquids. Vapes are legal in Canada, but not for people under the age of 19. It is also illegal to give or sell a vape to a minor.
According to a U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention report released in Nov. 2018, high school use of e-cigarettes (vapes) increased dramatically between 2017 and 2018 (by 78 per cent from 11.7 per cent of students in 2017 to 20.8 per cent in 2018).
The report states: “The rise in e-cigarette use during 2017-2018 is likely because of the recent popularity of e-cigarettes shaped like a USB flash drive, such as the JUUL. These products can be used discretely.”
Vancouver lawyer Kyla Lee said there could be problems if local schools start using these testing kits.
“It raises concerns in my mind that students with poor behavioural histories, who may have behavioural disabilities or students who are racialized minorities may be singled out for testing,” Lee said. “Even searches in schools, particularly where they are done for the purpose of enforcing criminal laws, have to be based on some legitimate standard. The courts have recognized that children have privacy rights even while in school, and those privacy rights are heightened when it comes to their personal property.”
However, Lee noted that under the B.C. Cannabis Act, school administrators are liable for possession and use offences on school property. That could work in favour of introducing these testing kits.
“If they are charged under the provincial law, the administrator has a burden of showing that they exercised due diligence,” she said. “So it would be arguable from the administrative standpoint that such tests are necessary for the school administration to carry out its obligations under the Cannabis Act.”