How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System? THC Detection

Heroin, for example, is generally undetectable in urine after three to five days. Employers often require drug tests as part of the hiring process, so it’s important to be aware of the detection window for each type of test—whether it’s a urine test, blood test, or hair test. Influential factors include the THC dose, the person’s body fat, sex, how hydrated they are, recent exercise and their metabolism rate, according to Medical News Today. The strength and quantity of the THC consumed can be the difference between a positive and negative test, as drug tests are searching for THC, not cannabis.

How Is Marijuana Metabolized in the Body?

• It’s also affected by your unique physical functions and frequency of consumption.
• THC is detectable in blood for the shortest time, typically up to 12 hours.
• And, different factors may alter the number of days THC will show up in a blood, urine or another drug test.
• However, it took up to 18 days for THC-COOH to be eliminated from urine samples.

Most cannabis (80-90%) is metabolized into hydroxylated and carboxylated metabolites, which are then excreted over five days. Next, let’s take a look at how marijuana is metabolized in the body. Marijuana is initially metabolized in the liver, where it’s broken down into its chemical components. THC produces a high because of an active ingredient called delta-nine tetrahydrocannabinol.

• By understanding these individual factors, you can make better choices about your health and lifestyle.
• Each method provides unique insights into THC consumption patterns, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right test based on specific needs and circumstances.
• What happens next is that these two doses overlap and, at some point, will accumulate in your bloodstream — intensifying the effects.

Hair

Marijuana does not stay in the blood for long and is undetectable after around three to four hours. Marijuana blood tests are uncommon because there is only a narrow window of opportunity to draw blood for a drug test. Again, this detection window can extend if you use cannabis heavily, e.g. multiple times a day. If that’s you, THC will stay in your system for 30 days or even longer. As expected, chronic users are susceptible to THC urine detection longer than individuals who use the herb occasionally. drug addiction Urine drug tests can’t show if you were high at the time of your testing or when the last time was that you smoked.

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While these kits are popular, their production is largely unregulated, there may be no quality control, and they can contain ingredients that aren’t listed on the labels. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the compound that causes the high from marijuana. If you smoke or vape weed, THC enters your bloodstream through your lungs, then moves to your brain and other organs. If you eat or drink it, THC is absorbed into your bloodstream through your liver.

The most common standard urine drug test can detect THC up to 90 days after inhalation/ingestion. Does that mean that everybody who has smoked a joint in the last 90 days will test THC positive? Of course not; it depends on how frequently you smoke, M/F and how much you weigh. However, blood tests can detect THC metabolites for a few days to a few weeks, depending on how much you consume. Blood tests can detect THC metabolites for several days to a few weeks.

It has more than 100 metabolites, but the most significant ones are 11-OH-THC (11-hydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and THCCOOH (11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). In jurisdictions where cannabis is illegal, oral fluid may be used for roadside how long does weed stay in your system testing. Chronic heavy use increases the length of time that it can be detected. One of the most abundant components in cannabis is a chemical substance called THC, which stands for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Although trace amounts of THC may not produce a “high,” you may increase your risk of it being detected on a drug test. CBD should not produce a positive test result when used on its own because it does not produce the same metabolites as THC.

It’s also important to note that while hair tests are excellent for long-term assessment, they may not reflect recent use as accurately as other methods, such as urine tests. For those interested in learning more about how different usage levels affect marijuana detection, they can refer to additional resources, such as how long does weed stay in pee?. Understanding these detection windows can help individuals make informed decisions regarding substance use and recovery pathways. Most notably these include the specimen type used for the drug test – blood, oral fluid, urine, or hair. The different drugs that we test for also have varying detection times.

Can Cannabis Make You Lose Weight? 2025 Update

It is very difficult to cheat on manipulate the results of these tests because the specimen is collected by a professional with direct observation. Up to 1.5 inches of hair is taken near the scalp, which can detect marijuana up to 3 months after last use. Depending on the type of blood test, marijuana can be detected anywhere from 3.5 hours up to 7 days.