Weed, also named cannabis or marijuana, is usually detectable in bodily fluids for 1 to 30 days after last use. Depending on the length of someone’s hair, cocaine use may be detectable for several months.
Weed detection windows depend on a number of factors, including how much you smoke or ingest, as well as how often.In general, users will be detectable for longer periods of time if they take higher doses and use more often.For daily cannabis users, it is possible to test positive for the drug months after one’s last use. The longest documented detection times range from 90 to more than 300 days.This article discusses the time it takes for cannabis to get through your system.
How long is it detectable via drug testing?
Drug tests measure the presence of drugs in someone’s system, including weed and its by-products. These metabolites remain in your system long after weed’s effects have worn off.
Urine testing
According to Mayo Clinic Proceedings, weed stays in urine for the following periods of time after last use:
- Occasional users (up to three times a week): 3 days
- Moderate users (four times a week): 5 to 7 days
- Chronic users (daily): 10 to 15 days
- Chronic heavy users (multiple times a day): more than 30 days
- Cannabis metabolites are fat-soluble, which means they bind to fat molecules in your body. As a result, it can take some time for them to leave your system.
Urine analysis is the most popular way to test for drugs.
Blood testing
Weed leaves a detectable trace in the blood for 1 to 2 days. However, in other cases it’s detected after 25 days. It can take longer for a drug test to register the presence of drugs when you are chronically using them.
Weed is detectable in the bloodstream within seconds, and distributed to tissues. Within 24 hours of its use, most cocaine is broken down by the liver and dispersed through the bloodstream.
Blood testing can be used for a variety of purposes. One use is in laboratory settings to detect recent weed use.
Saliva testing
According to a 2014 study on cannabinoids in oral fluid, weed is detectable in saliva for the following amounts of time after last use:
- Occasional users: 1 to 3 days
- Chronic users: 1 to 29 days
Weed can enter the saliva through both smoke and exposure to smoke, but its metabolites are only present in saliva when it has been smoked or consumed.
In jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, using oral fluid for roadside testing may be legal.
Hair testing
Hair follicle tests are typically used to determine if a person has ingested drugs within the past 90 days. Weed may remain in your hair for up to three months. For those who cut their hair very short, it’s possible that you can track where they’ve been gong by seeing how long the naps are on the hair near the scalp.
How long does it take to break down (metabolize)?
Weed is the abbreviation for cannabis containing a chemical substance called THC, which stands for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Although the exact number of its effects are unknown, it is absorbed into your bloodstream and can have many possible effects in different people.
Some THC is temporarily stored in organs and fatty tissues. In the kidneys, this THC can be reabsorbed into the bloodstream.
The THC in cannabis is metabolized by the liver and has about 80 metabolites. The most significant ones are 11-OH-THC (11-hydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and THCCOOH (11-nor-9–carboxy delta 9 -tetrahydrocannabin
Drug tests may reveal that a person has used marijuana as there are specific metabolites that stay in the body longer than THC. Eventually, however, these traces are excreted through urine and feces.
What factors affect how long it stays in your system?
A number of factors affect how long weed stays in your system. Some of these, such as age and gender, are not related to the drug’s effect or processing capability, but correlate with a person’s ability to process bodily chemicals at various rates.
Other factors are related to weed and how you use it. This includes how much you take (dose) and how often (frequency). Higher doses and more frequent use tend to increase the amount of time it takes to eliminate weed from your system.
Lately, stronger marijuana created with a higher THC level is on the rise. While weed ingested may stay in your system slightly longer than if it were smoked, this may not be much consolation for those who have to undergo drug tests where their urine or blood are tested.
Is there anything you can do to metabolize it faster?
There isn’t much you can do to speed up how long weed stays in your system. Once it enters your body, you need time to break it down. Exercising, eating healthy and staying hydrated may help you deal with the substance dependence but this won’t always be enough.
There are a variety of methods to detox from weed, most with up-side and downsides. Using water to dilute your urine requires plenty of liquid; drinking high amounts can become cumbersome after consuming too much Creatinine or Vitamin B-12 may mask the marijuana use.
How long does it take to feel the effects?
Weed usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes, and up to two hours, for its effects to be felt when smoked. It can take one or two hours before feeling any effect when the weed is ingested.
Weed is a volatile substance. Calling it a drug might not be entirely accurate, but weed does produce psychoactive effects that vary in intensity and duration depending on whether you consume the drug or smoke it.
- sense of well-being
- sense of relaxation
- feeling that time is slowing down
- giggling or chattiness
- altered sensory perception
Other short-term effects include:
- inability to focus
- increased appetite
- coordination problems
- sleepiness
- restlessness
- rapid heart rate
- dry mouth and eyes
- confusion
- feeling sick or faint
- anxiety or paranoia
Although uncommon, high doses of cannabis can cause hallucinations, delusions, and/or psychosis.
Smoking or ingesting weed regularly has an impact on your mind and body, which can lead to the development of additional effects including:
- cognitive impairments
- memory impairments
- learning impairments
- cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke
- respiratory illnesses, such as bronchitis and lung infections
- mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety
- hallucinations and psychosis
If you use marijuana while pregnant, your baby is more likely to experience birth defects and problems with brain development.
How long does it take for the effects to wear off?
Weed’s short-term effects start to taper off after one to three hours. Some short-term effects, such as memory impairment or difficulty sleeping, can last a few days.
Researchers are not currently aware of the long-term effects of chronic weed use. It is believed that post acute effects can last days, weeks or even months after usage has ended and could be permanent.
It’s important to remember these things. Weed could cause big problems if people aren’t aware of the effects and how long it stays in the system.