Pre-legalization, the easiest way to catch someone consuming marijuana was to force them to take a urine test and analyze for any presence of marijuana components.

Now, post-legalization, scientists have uncovered another use of the urine test — by using the components within urine to produce electricity.

In a new study, published in Biosource Technology Reports, Turkish scientists have successfully remove cannabis metabolites from the urine of pot consumers to generate a household necessity.

The experiment was conducted using microbial fuel cells (MFC), a bio-electrochemical instrument that put chemical compounds and select bacteria together to produce electricity. The technology was developed to create alternative and sustainable sources of energy in developing countries, to replace fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

According to the study, MFCs work by forcing an electric current through the urine to have a chemical reaction, which splits the components within the product. The researchers compared the processes with synthetic and real THC-infused urine and found that the latter not only produced a voltage but also eliminated 60 per cent of the COOH-THC metabolite.