New Device Tests Marijuana Purity at Home

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Marijuana matures at the Medicine Man dispensary and grow operation in northeast Denver on Dec. 5, 2013.

Image: Ed Andrieski, file/Associated Press

Nic Halverson for Discovery News 2014-03-31 20:40:36 UTC

Marijuana strains sold in the 20 states where it’s legal are not well tested, and some are even beset with E. coli, mold and pesticides. As more states legalize marijuana, customer demand for organic, chemical-free weed is bound to take root.

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MyDx, a handheld device that tests the purity of weed, hopes to put the conscious toker’s mind at ease — more so than it already is. The small testing kit connects with a smartphone app to immediately tell users if their stash contains specific cannabinoids, smell compounds know as terpenoids or harmful chemicals.

“There’s no quick, easy, affordable way to test safety and potency of cannabis samples. People don’t know what they’re putting in their bodies,” co-founder Daniel Yazbeck told Fast Company. “If a doctor prescribes cannabis to you, and you go the dispensary and see a bunch of jars, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just names.”

Users simply place a sample in the device’s sliding tray and wait for the results. Sensors inside the device act as an “electric nose” and detect marker molecules in vapor form. Additionally, the device also conveys whether the sample will make users happy, social, distracted and so on, depending on the strain.

However, the cannabis sensors are only the first step. MyDx plans to create three other sensor packages for the same device. “Organa” will test for pesticides on fruits and vegetables. “Aqua” will check water samples and “Aero” will assess air quality.

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So far, MyDx has surpassed its crowd-funded goal of $19,000 on Indiegogo. The cannabis platform is expected to retail for $399, while a multi-sensor kit will go for $499. Check out the company’s pitch with the following video.