WSU researchers need volunteers to smoke marijuana for study

Researchers at Washington State University are looking for volunteers for a study to develop a breathalyzer that detects marijuana use.

Under Washington state law, drivers with five nanograms of active tetrahydrocannabinol, also referred to as THC, in their bloodstream can be prosecuted for driving under the influence.

RELATED: Indicted Seattle officer faces years in prison for pot-smuggling

In accordance with Washington state law volunteers must be at least 21-years-old and be residents of Pullman to participate in the study.

Participants will begin with a blood test and a mouth swab as part of preliminary testing. The volunteers will then purchase marijuana of their choice from a Washington state licensed retail store, and smoke it privately at their own home.

Taxi cabs will pick up the volunteers from their homes and bring them to a hospital to complete secondary testing. The taxi cabs will help avoid any participant from driving under the influence.

Volunteers will be paid $30 an hour for the first hour and $10 for every additional hour of participation.

The study will also encourage participants to partake in a standard sobriety test conducted by local law enforcement.

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation legalizing marijuana for medical usage while eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana.

The study will take place the last two weeks of May and continue through the first two weeks of June.