Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the chemical in cannabis that makes people feel “high”. The tests can detect THC in your body for days or weeks.
How long does this substance stay in your body or show up on a drug test? It depends on several factors. These include:
• Amount of body fat
• Amount and frequency of drug use
• Response to drug tests
Drugs like alcohol can destroy the system within hours. In comparison, cannabis has a longer shelf life.
Drug tests can detect THC in urine, blood, and hair for several days after use, but saliva tests can detect THC for several hours. This is due to the body’s ability to metabolize THC.
THC is a fat-soluble substance. This means that THC binds to body fat longer and is eliminated.
How Long Does THC Stay in Your System?
It depends on the factors below.
• The amount of THC involved.
• How much the person uses it?
• Drug test time related to last use
• The rate of release of THC and other cannabinoids from the tissue
• Hydration level
The amount of THC in cannabis depends on how long it takes the body to metabolize drugs. However, keep in mind that other factors can affect how long cannabis stays in your system. This includes how much cannabis you use, how you use it, how often you use it, and how it affects you. The amount of THC in the plant is only one variable that determines how long the drug lasts in the body.
How long does it take for a drug test to detect cannabis?
It depends on the sampling method.
Urine Testing
The time it takes for cannabis to show up in a urine test varies, depending on how often an individual uses it. Here are some basic guidelines for how long it takes for cannabis to show up in a urine test based on frequency of use:
• For smokers who smoke less than twice a week: 1 to 3 days.
• For smokers who smoke several times per week: 7 to 21 days.
• Daily smoker: more than 30 days.
• Oral intake (food): 1 to 5 days.
THC remains in high concentration in urine for a long time. Therefore, urine samples are the best drug testing method for detecting cannabis use.
Hair Testing: When THC enters the hair follicles in the bloodstream, the hairs try another option to find cannabis in your system. Hair tests can detect drugs up to 90 days after last use.
Hair tests are less reliable than other types of drug tests. If you have been exposed to secondhand cannabis smoke or if your hair has been in contact with someone who has been exposed to cannabis, your hair may have positive results.
Saliva Testing: The drug is detectable in saliva for 24 hours. However, some pieces of evidence suggest that oral tests can detect THC up to 30 hours after using a THC cigarette. Some saliva tests can also detect the drug from oral dosing for 44 hours, such as Brownie, Sativex, and Marinol.
Blood Testing : Cannabis stays in the blood for a short time, blood tests are not used to detect cannabis. This is because while THC is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream within minutes of inhalation, the concentration of THC in the bloodstream decreases rapidly 3 to 4 hours after ingestion.
How to get cannabis out of the body faster?
There is no specific method to get cannabis out of the body faster. Strategies that may help to get cannabis from the body quicker involve breaking down body fat cells, speeding up THC metabolism in the liver, and removing THC metabolites from the intestines.
As the body stores THC in fat cells, exercising regularly helps to break fat cells and release THC into the blood for further excretion. Exercise might help the body metabolize more THC, causing a positive result due to having THC in the bloodstream.
Following a healthy nutrition plan may also help with this process of metabolizing THC. Also, consuming fiber helps improve digestion and increase bowel movements, helping in the elimination of THC metabolites from the body.
Drink sufficient amounts of water to remove THC metabolites through urine and bowel movements. Getting plenty of sleep also helps to avoid any decreases in metabolism.
Conclusion
It is impossible to predict exactly how long it will take for cannabis to metabolize and leave the body. Home tests can help people monitor the levels of cannabis in their bodies.
Almost everyone should have no or very low levels of cannabis within 30 days. For infrequent users, it can take 10 days or less for cannabis to leave the body.