Gaize Raises $1.2M To Fund Launch Of Non-Invasive Cannabis Impairment Detection Device

Gaize, Inc. has raised $1.2 million in seed capital for their non-invasive impairment detection platform.

Beginning with cannabis, the company is creating a self-contained and portable product that can detect impairment in real-time.

Ken Fichtler, formerly the director of economic development for the state of Montana and founder of Gaize plans to use the seed capital to hire for several key roles, as well as to finalize and launch the product.

“Most people believe that cannabis should be legal, but they also agree that we need to have a way to know if people are too high to be driving or operating equipmentm,” he said. “That’s the baseline for legalizing cannabis safely, and Gaize is the answer.”

Gaize is backed by notable Montana and Silicon Valley-based angel investors, including Fritz Lanman, CEO of ClassPass.

“Gaize is building the cutting-edge technology we need to ensure that cannabis legalization happens in a way that maintains the safety of our roads and workplaces. I’m excited to play a role in bringing it to market,” Lanman commented on the funding.

The Gaize Device

The Gaize device is a patent pending, self-contained and automated test that relies on machine learning to evaluate several measures of how cannabis impairment manifests in the body and impacts the brain.

Considering that THC is not metabolized or expelled by the body in a way that mirrors impairment, “cannabis breathalyzers, blood and saliva tests are useless for anything except detecting prior use,” Fichtler explained.

“Now that cannabis is legal for most of the population, prior use is not a crime,” he added. “We have to understand active impairment, just like we do with alcohol.”

By instead measuring how cannabis impacts normal bodily processes, Gaize is precisely measuring experienced impairment in real-time, the company said, adding that it will give law enforcement a reliable tool they can use to ensure that drivers are safe.

“This is a game changer when compared with the only existing tests, which are retroactive and cannot measure impairment. Importantly, identifying active impairment as opposed to just prior use, also allows employees to safely use cannabis during their off-hours,” Fichtler continued.

For law enforcement customers, the Gaize product also provides video evidence of impairment from automatically performed tests.

Photo: Courtesy of Esteban Lopez on Unsplash