If the test detects this metabolite in the urine, it means the body has processed THC relatively recently. When determining how long weed will stay in your system, healthcare professionals say it all comes down to frequency and the amount you use. The THC elimination times are categorized based on sex, height, weight and smoking habit. Testing urine for marijuana (THC-COOH metabolite to be exact) is the standard procedure that employers use in order to determine if you’ve been using cannabis.

Hair Test

• Whichever consumption method you use, the result will be the same; your body metabolizes the intoxicating compounds.
• These factors include the frequency and amount of weed consumed, the method of consumption, and individual factors such as metabolism and overall health.
• Any expert will tell you that the only way to flush THC out of your system is to allow your body’s natural processes to take place.
• The DOT recommends checking temperature, creatinine and specific gravity on every urine sample 12.

“Ingesting edibles introduces only 10% to 20% of THC and other cannabinoids to the blood plasma, whereas inhaled cannabis falls closer to 50% or 60%,” according to Leafly. Since THC-COOH is the prevalent metabolite excreted in urine, checking it is most advisable for detecting cannabis use, so all urine tests for marijuana look for THC-COOH, not THC itself. In order to determine how long weed stays in the blood, we need to look at the THC element and its metabolites. As mentioned above, there are numerous complex factors that determine how long weed is detectable in the system. Primarily, this is how frequently someone smokes, how much they smoke, and how long they have been smoking.

( Assessment of behavioral or other mental health concerns

This inactive metabolite is stored in body fat and gradually eliminated or metabolized. It remains in the body far longer than active THC, which is why so many cannabis detox drinks and kits claim to eliminate or mask the presence of THC metabolites. It’s also important to remember that “occasional” and “chronic” cannabis users each represent opposite sides of the usage spectrum, and most consumers would likely fall somewhere in the middle. THC and its metabolites may stay in your system anywhere from several days to several months after you last use cannabis.

Practical concerns in adolescent drug testing

You could get a positive urine test result within about four to seven days. Tests can detect THC in urine for up to 30 days in a heavy user who uses weed at least once per day. This is based on the half-life of the medication, which is a measure of the amount of time until half of the medication is cleared from your system. It takes about five half-lives for the medication to be considered fully out of your system. It could take longer for Celebrex to leave your system if you have liver problems, since this could cause the medication to break down more slowly.

• Fiber can be helpful because 65% of cannabis leaves the body via bowel movements and getting enough fiber can help keep you regular.
• It’s also worth mentioning that certain factors, such as hydration levels and the rate of metabolism, can influence the duration of detection.
• Drug testing, when carefully collected and thoughtfully interpreted, offers a critical adjunct to clinical care and substance use treatment (Box 1).

Thus home urine collection may be a reasonable mechanism for monitoring an adolescent that is receiving treatment for a substance use disorder. Assent should always be obtained from the adolescent, and permission to share results of any drug tests with his or her parent should be sought. Abstinence from all substances is recommended throughout adolescence because of the impact of alcohol, marijuana and other drugs on brain development 6. Routine drug testing of all adolescents, however, is insensitive for detecting sporadic use, and risks obscuring opportunities for counseling and brief interventions that may be better identified by self-report 7. This type of testing is more expensive and time-consuming than qualitative tests and is normally reserved for people who have tested positive in a qualitative test. It needs to be done in a laboratory and is used when a more defined value is needed, say, for prosecution.

Urine tests are considered to be quite accurate but notably lack the ability to detect cannabis use in the past 30 days. According to a 2012 study published in the Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, the average half-life of THC is 5-13 days for frequent users and around a day for infrequent users. This study uses the term “half-life” in its biological context, which refers to the amount of time it takes the human body to eliminate half of a substance it ingests. Even those who inhale secondhand marijuana smoke or use CBD products are potentially at risk of failing urine tests and other types of tests if they don’t know how long weed stays in your system. In this guide, learn everything you need to know regarding drug testing for marijuana and how it pertains to delta-9 THC — with a special focus on understanding how long THC stays how long does weed stay in your system in your body after use and why. For adolescents receiving treatment for substance use problems or disorders, urine specimens can be collected at home under the supervision of a parent or guardian.

New vs residual marijuana use6,7

For patients who are bald or who have shaved their head, hair can be taken from the armpit, face, or other unshaven part of the body, so long as a sufficiently long enough sample can be taken. Drug detection times for different biologic specimens used in drug testing. Millions of employees and potential employees are drug tested every year in the United States and elsewhere.