Cannabix Technologies Provides Update on Marijuana Breathalyzer Development

The Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer is being developed to give law enforcement and employers a tool to enforce public safety as Canada gets set to table marijuana legalization this spring

 

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--( Feb. 16, 2017) - Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE:BLO)(CSE:BLO.CN)(OTC PINK:BLOZF) (the "Company or Cannabix") developer of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer for law enforcement and the workplace, is pleased to provide a development update on its FAIMS Beta 2.0 (field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry) based marijuana breathalyzer for the detection of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol ("THC") in human breath. Development in Gainesville, Florida and Vancouver, BC is progressing well and the Company expects to begin pre-trial live subject testing during the month of March.

Since introducing the Beta 2.0 version of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer in late 2016, Company scientists have been engaged in developmental testing, method development, and continuously improving the design of the device. At the same time, experiments have been done with THC to characterize the individual parts of the instrument and improve the efficiency of human breath collection and sampling.

 

The Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer consists of proprietary components including a generator enabled by the latest chip technology to provide extremely fast high-voltage square wave transitions that significantly improve chemical separations, and a novel plasma ionization source that provides efficient ionization with a relatively small footprint. The Company anticipates completing developmental testing of the Beta 2.0 device within the next month while preparing for preliminary human subject testing.

 

Various technical leaps have been made with several components over the last 3 months. In particular, the dielectric barrier discharge ionization source ("DBD") which allows efficient ionization with relatively low voltages, has been significantly optimized in every aspect of the source (sizes, geometries, and materials) leading to significantly smaller instrument footprint. In addition, the high-voltage square wave generator ("HVSW") which causes ions to oscillate rapidly at a high frequency between the FAIMS electrodes, to create separation from each other, has been drastically improved.

 

The Company is working with its Vancouver based engineering firm to ruggedize and refine its breath collection component (i.e. the collection tube where users breathe into the breathalyzer). In particular, engineers are testing a very exciting proprietary flow-through heat exchanger technology that stabilizes breath temperature in extreme cold as well as humid temperature settings.

 

In December, a special Task Force set up by the Government of Canada to review the future regulation of recreational cannabis in Canada, issued a report, where the among other things, emphasised the issue of marijuana impaired driving as a critical issue and presented a host of specific recommendations to provincial Ministers across Canada, including:

 

Supporting the development of an appropriate roadside drug screening device for detecting THC levels, and invest in these tools;

 

Determining whether to establish a per se limit as part of a comprehensive approach to cannabis-impaired driving and re-examine per se limits should a reliable correlation between THC levels and impairment be established;

 

Investing in baseline data collection and ongoing surveillance and evaluation in collaboration with provinces and territories.

 

The Government of Canada, is expected to table marijuana legalization legislation in the spring. The Company will use key metrics and guidance from Drugs and Driving Committee (DDC), which is an advisory body to the Canadian Department of Justice on issues relating to drug-impaired driving and has been given a mandate to develop reports regarding drugs that are proposed for zero-tolerance and per se legislation, including cannabis.

 

About Cannabix Technologies Inc.

 

Cannabix Technologies Inc. is a leader in marijuana breathalyzer development for law enforcement and the workplace. Cannabix has established breath testing technologies in the pursuit of bringing durable, portable hand-held tools to market to enhance detection of marijuana impaired driving offences on roads at a time when marijuana is becoming legal in many global jurisdictions. Cannabix is working to develop drug-testing devices that will detect THC- the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes intoxication- using breath samples. In particular, Cannabix is focused on developing breath testing devices for detection of recent use of THC, in contrast to urine testing for THC metabolite that requires an invasive collection and reflects use days or even weeks earlier. The devices will also be useful for other practical applications such as testing employees in the workplace where intoxication by THC can be hazardous.

 

We seek Safe Harbor. 

 

On behalf of the Board of Directors

 

Rav Mlait, CEO

 

Cannabix Technologies Inc.

 

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

 

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company, such as final development of a commercial or prototype product(s), successful trial or pilot of company technologies, no assurance that commercial sales of any kind actually materialize; no assurance the Company will have sufficient funds to complete product development. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) risks regarding protection of proprietary technology; (iii) the ability of the Company to complete financings; (v) the ability of the Company to develop and market its future product; and (vi) risks regarding government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and filings. There is no assurance that the marijuana breathalyzer business will provide any benefit to the Company, and no assurance that any proposed new products will be built or proceed. There is no assurance that existing "patent pending" technologies licensed by the Company will receive patent status by regulatory authorities. The Company is not currently selling commercial breathalyzers. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

 

Cannabix Technologies Inc.

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