In Washington state, researchers hope to glean a little information about pot use by studying wastewater in two separate cities. The pilot study, which is receiving some federal funding, could illustrate how use has changed since voters passed a bill legalizing the drug in 2012.
“We’re trying to get a sense of the type of user,” says Dan Burgard, an associate chemistry professor who will be conducting the study. “If there’s more use on the weekends, maybe that’s more recreational. But if Sunday to Thursday use goes up as much, that might be a public health concern, with habitual users using a lot more.”
Scientists often study public health via wastewater samples in a process called “sewage epidemiology,” which provides an accurate assessment of usage rates. Burgard previously looked at Ritalin and Adderal use on a college campus by analyzing wastewater samples.
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The two testing sites in Washington will not be released until the study is complete. Burgard is working with Caleb Banta-Green from the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute.
Source: AP