Over time, that stored THC gets released back into the bloodstream before going through another round of metabolization in the liver. This cannabinoid is taken up by various tissues and essential organs, including the brain, is metabolized in the liver, and subsequently enters the bloodstream. The duration each system takes to process and eliminate THC varies by organ, resulting in inconsistent timelines. Marijuana, also known as weed, pot, or ganja, is a medicinal plant of the cannabis family. It contains a psychoactive compound known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that has major intoxicating effects.
The Bottom Line: How Long Does Cannabis Stay in Your System?
- Because THC is broken down pretty quickly into molecules called metabolites, it is detectable in the blood for the shortest amount of time.
- Marijuana preparations are usually smoked in pipes, joints, or water pipes (bongs).
- The amount of time it takes for cannabis to make changes to your brain chemistry and how long it lasts is dependent largely on how you consume it.
- The primary reason why anyone is concerned about THC-metabolites remaining in the body is due to a potential impending drug screening.
- A higher threshold means that you will test positive for a shorter amount of time after marijuana intake.
In general, you don’t need to worry too much about blood tests if you use cannabis. They are a rarity, and as long as you have enough warning to “prepare” for the screening, you should be okay. As mentioned above, there are numerous complex factors that determine how long weed is detectable in the system. Primarily, this is how frequently someone smokes, how much they smoke, and how long they have been smoking.
Metabolism & Frequency of Consumption Affect How Long Cannabis Is Stored in Your Body
- How long alcohol stays in your blood depends on several factors, including how many drinks you have had.
- Drugs can stay in saliva for varying amounts of time, depending on the drug.
- Some cannabis users believe eating mangoes while consuming cannabis helps lengthen the effects of weed, but there’s no supporting hard fact for theory.
- So, unless you’ve been around a joint a half hour before your drug test, you should be okay.
- It takes five half-lives to completely clear a drug from your system.
Various studies show that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana, can be detected anywhere from six hours to six weeks after the last use. This is because THC is absorbed into the body’s fat, where it slowly releases into the body and breast milk over time. Cocaine leaves the blood quickly, so blood tests are not commonly used for cocaine. A cocaine blood test would need to be conducted within a few hours of cocaine use for the drug to show up. Since this is unlikely, urine tests or other drug tests are more commonly used. For athletes, the duration that THC stays in their system may be shorter than for non-athletes.
Weed stays in sweat for 7-28 days
The test is cheap, and results can be ready in as little as 10 minutes. If you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 index of articles. And if you have questions about cannabis, ask them and our community will answer. Legal reforms have given Floridians access to medical marijuana. Federal regulations dating from the Regan era prohibit U.S. government employees from marijuana use of any type. Various state and local governments maintain similar “zero tolerance” policies, and some private-sector employers have followed suit.
They were all monitored for urine levels of THC-COOH at regular intervals. After two days, subjects B and G still tested above the 50ng/ml threshold for a urinalysis. Subject E never exceeded the level despite taking the same amount of THC. Because of this, edibles can put you at a longer risk compared to vaping or smoking cannabis based on your use habits.
How Long Does It Take THC-COOH to Leave the Body?
- Standard hair tests typically look for drugs used over the last 90 days.
- Blood drug tests have a much narrower detection window than urine tests because they use the most direct approach to test for THC.
- But if it’s too late for that, is there any way to get traces of marijuana out of your system faster?
- This is one of the reasons why a considerable proportion of positive drug tests involve marijuana.
It is one of the cheapest and easiest drug screenings for companies how long does weed stay in your system to administer. More importantly, it enables them to detect THC-metabolites (THC-COOH) for a more extended period than blood or saliva tests. CBD, THC and their metabolites are fat-soluble and accumulate throughout your body in fat reserves. The type of drug test you undergo will have a major impact on whether or not you test positive. For example, a urine test will show weed in your system for a longer period of time than a blood test. If you are seriously concerned (and/or the thought of drug testing makes you anxious), your best bet is to hold off on consumption.
Drinking Water
Drugs tend to linger for longer periods in the bodies of older adults, especially if they have underlying health or kidney problems. Gender can also play a role, as male bodies can process substances like alcohol more quickly than female ones. Lastly, ethnicity can also influence how long a drug stays in your system, as some genetic traits are more common in certain ethnic populations.
Users who experienced this unsettling feeling report that it lasted up to a few months. In extreme cases, anxiety may last up to two weeks, but casual users typically get over it in just hours. Edibles like D9 gummies get absorbed by the body differently compared to smoking. It goes through the same process as food, where the liver metabolizes the THC before it enters the bloodstream.