How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System? Urine, Blood, Hair
Drug tests can detect relatively small quantities of THC, and the amount of THC in a given cannabis cigarette varies. However, little research has examined how much a person must smoke how long does weed stay in your system to fail a drug test. Research on how long a test can detect cannabis shows a wide range of averages. Research from 2017 estimates a detection window for a single cannabis cigarette of about 3 days. Even though exercise burns fat, that process also releases more THC metabolites into your blood, which could be a bad choice for the testing day.
- For those with a high metabolic rate, the effects might start sooner but could still linger for a while.
- There are many CB1 receptors in the brain, and consuming THC leads to changes in how dopamine, serotonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are absorbed.
- After helping out almost 200 people (in the comments), we have decided to put together a THC elimination calculator.
- Drinking sufficient amounts of water may also help to remove THC metabolites through urine and bowel movements.
What factors affect how long THC and its metabolites stay in your system?
There are many different types of drug tests and all of them work a little differently. The most common of them all is the urinalysis, more famously known as the dreaded pee test. This type of test is often used by employers to screen for cannabis consumers before hiring.
Ask the experts: Cannabis chemistry in the body
- Different drug tests for cannabis have different detection windows.
- A high metabolic rate might mean a quicker onset, but the high may not last as long.
- This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you know you have an upcoming drug test, not all hope is lost. But if your employer tests you regularly and without prior notification, perhaps it wasn’t a dream job after all. For most cannabis consumers, THC will remain detectable for no more than 2-3 days, though it can be detected in the saliva of very heavy users for up to a few weeks. Most drug tests can only detect THC in blood samples for a few hours. THC-COOC, on the other hand, can be detected in the bloodstream for several weeks, especially in frequent or heavy users. But how long is weed in your system at levels that can be detected in a drug test?
How does THC move through the body and break down (metabolize)?
- However, it has proven to be more of an internet myth rather than an effective detox method.
- A lower cutoff threshold means that you will test positive for longer.
- Psychoactive effects can lead to impaired judgment, slower reaction time, and heightened risk of psychotic disorders.
- For occasional consumers, THC can be found in saliva for up to 24 hours after consuming.
- Generally speaking, THC-COOC is the metabolite that is measured in many different drug tests and often remains in the body for nearly two to three times longer than THC itself.
Saliva testing has a short window of detection and, in some cases, may detect same-day cannabis use. The high from weed can last over six hours, depending on the dose, your metabolism, and your tolerance level. Edibles take longer to kick in, (usually 30 minutes to two hours), but the effects last much longer than smoking or vaping. Some people try to get THC out of their systems more quickly by drinking lots of liquids or using “detox kits” you can buy. But there’s no scientific evidence that there’s any way to help your body metabolize weed more quickly. The only way to make sure you pass a drug test is to stay away from weed.
