How does a drug test work? How does the drug test work for THC?
According to Ryan Vandrey, who is the associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the Johns Hopkins University has stated that there is no set amount of time that THC can be detected in a person’s system. The detection window will vary based on the frequency and the amount of marijuana use. There is no positive way to know if a person will or will not test positive for THC. Each year there are between 40 and 50 million drug tests given by employers. These tests include urine, hair, saliva, breath, sweat, and even testing of the fingernails. When a person uses cannabis, THC levels in the body increase. These levels can be detected by a drug test hours to days after every use. After a couple of days the THC levels will decrease but they may still be able to be detected. THC, CBD, and other metabolities which are metabolic byproducts are stored in the fat cells in the body. They are released over a period of time. It will take a long period of the time for the body to remove all traces of these substances. If a person is a frequent users it will take a very long time for all traces to be gone. Hair tests will be able to pick up on these elements for an even period of time. The hair test can show THC metabolites in the body for a period of 90 days after use. These metabolites as known as THC_COOH. While there are advantages to each of the different drug test many employers tend to prefer the urine test. The urine test is recommended by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This organization is part of the U.S. department of Health and Human Services. This is the administering body that sets the regulations for drug testing within the government. Like other tests urine tests do not measure the amount of THC in the system but the levels of the THC-COOH. When a test is given the agency administering the test has to determine how sensitive they want it to be and the concentration of THC_COOH that it can detect. The most common cutoff rate is 50ng/ ML. The tests can be set to be sensitive enough to detect 15ng/ ML. it can also be set as high as 100 ng/ML. According to Vandrey testing is a two step process. The first step will be setting the sensitivity level. If the test is positive for THC then it is sent to a lab for further testing and a lower sensitivity level is set. When with the standards for drug testing the amount of THC in the body will be determined by genetics, usage, and other biological factors.
How long does THC system in the body? How long does THC for marijuana use stay in the body?
Everyone has a unique metabolism and will process the THC at a different pace. Age as well as gender also play a factor in the metabolic rate. There are some lifestyle choices such as the amount of exercise person gets as well as their eating habits. Those with a high fat concentration will store THC for a longer period of time than those that are lean. Even with all of these factors there have been some general guidelines developed for drug testing. There is no way to know for certain how long THC will stay in the body. According to a report by Paul Cary who is the director of Toxicology and Drug Monitoring Laboratory at the University of Missouri, the majority of the people will not test positive 30 days after use. Some people will still test positive after this time however. A study from 1989 has sown that chronic users have a maximum detection window of 25 days. It took the participants an average of 9.8 days before the THC levels could no longer be detected. It was shown that there was a maximum window of 40 days for the levels to be no loner detected. Cary says that this estimate is based on the frequency of use and the sensitivity levels of the urine tests. With the cutoff of the standard 50 nh/ML levels in the chronic users should be undetectable after a 10 days period. It will take around 21 days with a test with a sensitivity level of 20 ng/ml to no longer be detected. For occasional smokers it will take around 3-4 days for the system to be clear on the standard drug test. For more sensitive test it will take around a week. Many users fall somewhere between the occasional and the chronic user.Many experts feel that this detection time is reasonable. Urine tests will look at the levels of THC in the body. People that use CBD oil or hemp oil have a very slim chance of a positive drug test. Hemp oil contains a very tiny amount of THC. If a person uses between 1000 and 2000 mg a day then they may test positive. This is a very large amount. If the test is sent for further analysis then it will more than likely test negative for THC_COOH.
Passing a Cannabis Drug test / Passing a Marijuana Drug test
For those that do use cannabis they often wonder if something can be done to prevent the drug test from coming back positive or help the body speed up the detoxification process. In order to pass a drug test a person should abstain from using marijuana. They should also avoid hanging out with people that use it. In a study conducted by Vandrey people were exposed to second hand marijuana smoke in a room with ventilation and a room with no ventilation. Some people that were in the non ventilated room test positive for THC_COOH with a concentration levels greater then 57ng/Ml. While second hand smoke may not product positive results it is still possible. If a person has an upcoming drug test they should not be around others that are smoking marijuana. Many people do not want to give up smoking cannabis and may try to find ways to cheat the drug tests. They may smoke K2 or spice which is synthetic marijuana. These forms are so unpredicted that a person may become ill. In the recent months overdoses from these substances have increased. Companies are also now testing for synthetic marijuana use. Not only can a person still feel a drug test they can be putting their health at a serious risk. Patients can get a California medical marijuana card for high thc or cbd strains.