How long does cannabis stay in your system?

How long cannabis stays in your system depends on your metabolism, the dose you consume, and your frequency of use. It’s usually cleared from the blood after 12 hours, saliva after 24 hours, and urine after 30 days. For people who use cannabis more frequently or heavily, the detection window can be even longer.

Learn more about how long cannabis stays in your body’s various systems and how different tests work to detect cannabis metabolites.

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How long does it take for weed to be cleared from the body?

After the effects of cannabis have worn off, certain cannabis compounds can still be detected in your body’s systems for a period of time.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. After consuming THC, your body breaks it down into several smaller pieces called metabolites. 

One of these metabolites is 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), which remains in your body for much longer than THC.

Most drug tests screen for THC or THC-COOH. Some tests screen for both molecules.

How long THC and THC-COOH are detectable varies based on the type of specimen being used.

Urine tests

Urine tests are the most common type of screening used to detect recent drug use.

Urine tests screen for THC-COOH. This metabolite can be detected in urine up to approximately 30 days after using cannabis, or longer for people who consume frequent or high doses of THC.

Hair tests

Hair tests can detect THC-COOH up to 90 days after consuming THC. However, these tests may not be entirely reliable, as some research suggests that hair tests can yield false positives.

Blood tests

THC begins clearing from the blood a few hours after consumption. Blood tests can usually detect THC up to 12 hours after consumption. For more frequent cannabis users, THC may be detectable in the blood for 24 hours or longer.

Saliva tests

Saliva tests are usually used to determine if a person is currently under the influence of THC, which can be detected in saliva for approximately 24 hours after use.

What factors affect how long weed stays in your system?

How long cannabis stays in your system depends on:

• Your frequency of use: Cannabis can remain detectable in your body for longer periods of time if you use cannabis frequently.
• The product’s THC concentration: THC concentrations vary between products. When you use higher amounts of THC, it generally takes longer to leave your system.
• The product type: How quickly cannabis enters and leaves the bloodstream can depend on the method of consumption. For example, when inhaled, cannabis compounds typically enter and leave your bloodstream within a couple of hours. When ingested, they can remain in your bloodstream for several hours.
• Your metabolism: Some individuals naturally metabolize cannabis compounds more quickly than others.
• Other aspects of your physiology: Hydration levels, body mass index (BMI), genetics, and overall health can affect how long cannabis remains detectable in your system.

THC vs. CBD in drug testing

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a nonintoxicating compound in cannabis. Your body metabolizes it differently from THC, which means that your body does not produce THC-COOH after you consume CBD.

Standard drug tests mainly screen for THC or THC metabolites, not CBD. So, consuming CBD should not cause you to test positive in a cannabis drug test.

That said, if your CBD products contain any THC, they may lead to a positive test result.

By law, CBD products cannot contain more than 0.3% THC — but certain “CBD” products still contain significant amounts of THC while complying with this legal threshold.

If you want to avoid a positive result on a cannabis drug test, consider CBD products that contain 0% THC, such as broad-spectrum CBD or CBD isolate products.

Can delta-8 THC show up on a drug test?

Consuming delta-8 THC can lead to a positive drug test result.

Delta-8 THC is a cannabis compound that’s chemically similar to the more commonly found delta-9 THC, though it produces milder effects and occurs naturally in much smaller amounts.

Some products made from hemp are manufactured to contain higher amounts of delta-8 THC.

While these hemp-derived products are federally legal, delta-8 THC can still show up on drug tests and have potential consequences for employment or compliance screenings.

Do edibles show up in drug tests?

Cannabis edibles that contain THC are as likely to show up in drug tests as any other products that contain THC.

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How does the body process cannabis?

Compounds in cannabis, like THC and CBD, are processed differently in your body.

How THC is processed

THC enters your bloodstream in minutes when inhaled, but takes a few hours when ingested.

From your bloodstream, it attaches to certain cannabinoid receptors in your body to produce various effects.

The effects of THC typically wear off after several hours. The exact duration depends on your dose and consumption method.

At the same time, certain enzymes in your liver begin breaking down THC into metabolites, including THC-COOH and 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC).

How CBD is processed

CBD behaves differently in the body from THC. It doesn’t attach to cannabinoid receptors like THC, but interacts with receptors that control pain tolerance, sleep, and more.

CBD also affects endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids produced by your body that help keep different systems in balance.

CBD is processed similarly to THC, though your liver enzymes break CBD down into different metabolites, including 7-hydroxy-CBD (7-OH-CBD) and 7-carboxy-CBD (7-COOH-CBD).

How to get cannabis out of your system faster

Some individuals try certain methods to help flush THC and its metabolites out of their system quickly. These methods include:

• Drinking large amounts of water
• Drinking cranberry juice
• Exercising vigorously
• Taking certain supplements, like zinc
• Using cannabis detox products, which are formulas advertised to help flush cannabis out of your body quickly

None of these methods is proven effective at removing traces of cannabis from your body, and they are generally not recommended by healthcare professionals.

Ultimately, the amount of time it takes to get cannabis out of your system will depend on how much you consume and how often you use it.

The bottom line: Cannabis can remain in your system for days to months

How long cannabis can be detected in your system is affected by the type of test you take, how frequently you consume cannabis, and other factors.

There’s no proven way to speed up the process of clearing cannabis from your system.

In some states, having a medical cannabis card protects you from certain penalties if you test positive for cannabis at work. Schedule an appointment with Leafwell to begin the process of getting your medical card today.