How long does weed stay in your system? The complete guide

If you’ve never used cannabis before — or even if you’re just starting — you probably have a million questions on your mind. One of the most common questions is, how long does weed stay in your system? Some people fear it will show up on a drug test, while others want to know how long the effects of marijuana last.

If you’re wondering how long cannabis lasts, keep reading.

How long does weed stay in your system?

There are a few things to consider before diving into the answer to your question.
First, it’s worth noting that we need more research to say anything definitive. While we have some research, we don’t have a lot. Results may be very different from person to person.

There are also a few different factors that affect how long weed stays in the system:

• Dosage: The more you take, the longer it may stay in your system.
• Frequency/Tolerance: The more frequently you consume cannabis, the more of a tolerance you build. This may affect the staying time.
• Intake Method: There are a lot of ways to consume cannabis. Vaping, for example, may last shorter or longer than oil, edibles, etc. in certain users.
• Metabolism: If you have a fast metabolism, weed may flush out of your system faster than those with a slow metabolism.
• Food: Whether or not you’ve eaten recently has an effect on how long the weed stays in your system.

With that out of the way, here’s what we know about how long weed lasts.

How long does cannabis last?

The studies we have regarding how long cannabis lasts give us a guideline to follow.

Cannabis can stay stored in body fat for some time, and there is a risk of a positive drug test long after the high wears off. Given the various drug tests, this window changes based on the type of test.

Cannabis can be detected by blood tests up to 12 hours after consumption, while hair tests are detectable for 90 days. Saliva tests capture cannabis consumption within 24 hours of use, and urine tests can rat a person out for about 30 days. Most of these tests look for THC, but the world of cannabinoids has expanded.

One study shows that CBD oil lasts between two and five days when taken regularly in oil form. Smoking CBD-dominant strains showed a shorter time of 31 hours. This is a very broad range of times but gives CBD users a frame they can work within.

A much older study from 1991 examined the blood of CBD users after high doses. Test subjects took CBD for six weeks and then had their blood examined after a week of non-use. The study found 1.5 nanograms remaining in the blood, a nearly undetectable amount.

So, while we don’t have a solid answer, we can safely say cannabis stays in the body for at least five days. Heavy consumers may see cannabis in their systems for a month after consumption, if not longer. That doesn’t mean the effects last that long, it just means the substance is still in the bloodstream.

Can I fail a drug test if CBD is found in my blood?

Most drug tests only test for THC though CBD and other minor cannabinoids are present in marijuana. It’s important to remember, though, that certain CBD products do contain trace amounts of THC. A CBD product can have up to 0.3% THC and still go on the market. Although this is a trace amount, it is possible that THC will show up on a drug test if you take CBD products that contain it.

If THC is found on a drug test, it may result in a failure depending on the state you live in. Assuming you don’t regularly ingest cannabis, THC should leave your system in about three days. However, it may last as long as 30 days in a regular smoker.

How to avoid THC in CBD products

If you’re worried about THC in your CBD products, it’s important to seek out CBD products without THC. There are two types of CBD that don’t contain THC: broad-spectrum CBD and CBD isolate.

CBD isolate is pure CBD, with all cannabinoids (including THC) removed. This is the purest form of CBD you can get and is often used by athletes and those who undergo regular drug tests. You can get CBD isolate in oil form, as CBD cream for pain, and in any other form you can get other CBD products.

Broad-spectrum CBD products include all the naturally occurring cannabinoids except for THC. The THC is removed in the manufacturing process. This gives the user the most natural way to take CBD without the worry of THC, as the other cannabinoids enhance the effects of the product.

The other cannabinoids in broad-spectrum products won’t show up in a drug test. Drug tests typically only look for THC and other psychoactive drugs. If it can’t get you high, it’s not worth testing for.

How long do weed effects last?

Just because cannabis lasts in the body for a week or longer doesn’t mean the effects do. It’s generally believed that weed effects last between two and eight hours. The compounds remain in the body but don’t continue to benefit the user after that. Again, this depends on multiple factors, so eight hours is a conservative estimate.

So, how long does weed stay in your system? The answer is we don’t know for sure, but you can expect it to last up to a week or longer.

Thankfully for CBD users, you will almost never fail a drug test as long as you’re using a THC-free CBD product. Always check the label before buying, or ask for help finding THC-free products. That way, you can worry much less about how long cannabis stays in your system.

This article was submitted by a guest freelancer. The author is solely responsible for the contents.