A THC drug test becomes necessary in certain situations. For example, your doctor may prescribe a drug test if he believes you have a drug or alcohol problem. You may also be asked to take this test if the emergency room doctor finds your behavior odd or dangerous.
Sometimes some employers may ask you to take a drug test before hiring you. It is important to keep people with drug problems out of the roles that require constant focus and attention, such as truck driving, air traffic control, and more. In simpler words, testing for drugs is a way used by employers to lower the risk of work accidents.
If you want to pass a THC drug test, you need to learn how THC drug tests are performed and how to get THC out of your system. You also need to know how detoxification works. Having this knowledge will put you in the right position to pass the THC drug test. So, how long do drugs stay in your system? Let’s find out!
How Is THC Metabolized?
THC or delta-9-Tetrahydrocanobinol is an active ingredient present in weed. It is absorbed into your bloodstream as soon as it enters your body. After going through the kidneys, it reenters your bloodstream and is stored in fatty tissues and other organs.
The metabolism of THC takes place in the liver. THC contains over 80 metabolites, out of which 11-OH-THC (11-hydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and THCCOOH (11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) are found in abundance.
During the THC drug test, the tester looks for these metabolites in your body fluids and hair follicles. These metabolites leave your system through your urine or stool.
How Long Do Drugs Stay In Your System?
There are many different tests used to detect the level of THC in your system. Some of these tests are more effective than others because they can detect THC presence months after you last consumed weed. THC lasts in your body for different lengths of time, depending on your level of consumption.
Drug detection timetables are inconsistent. They depend upon a variety of factors, but we will share the average results with you. Listed below is a marijuana detection time chart based on the frequency of marijuana consumption and the type of test used.
| Drug Test | Frequency of Use | Detection Time | |
| 1 | Hair test | Daily consumption | 90 days |
| 2 | Urine test | Daily consumption | 3 days to more than a month |
| 3 | Saliva test | Daily consumption | Up to 48 hours |
| 4 | Blood test | Sporadic/Variable Consumption | Up to 36 hours |
Factors That Influence How Long Marijuana Stays in Your System
Different drugs stay in your body for different amounts of time. The retention of THC in your body depends on the frequency of use and the amount consumed. Weed stays in the system for days. There are various other factors as well that determine the time period for which a drug stays in your system. These factors include:
- The frequency of drug usage
- The potency of the drug
- The last time THC was consumed
- Level of drug tolerance
- Any pre-existing medical conditions
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Metabolism
- The level of THC in your system
- Level of hydration
The time THC takes to leave your system varies from person to person. For most people, it takes four to six days for the traces of marijuana to disappear from their system. Tetrahydrocannabinol is a fat-soluble compound. Unlike most testable substances, THC gets stored in the fat cells and eventually the organs of your body. In simpler words, people with less body fat will retain THC for a shorter period.
Therefore, determining how long one joint lasts in your system depends on your body composition. Also, the lower the amount of marijuana in your bloodstream, the less time it will take for your body to cleanse it. Hence, an infrequent user will have less marijuana in their bloodstream than a person who consumes it daily.
This indicates that the more frequently you consume this drug, the longer and in higher concentrations, it will remain in your body. If your body fat levels are high, THC detoxification will require a hardcore diet plan.
Types of THC Drug Tests
There are a few types of drug tests that detect the presence of THC in your system, including:
- Hair test
- Urine test
- Saliva test
- Blood test
Results vary from test to test because some of these tests are more effective than others.
How Do the Tests for Marijuana Detection Work?
The tests used to detect the levels of THC in your blood work in many different ways. They are explained below.
Urine Analysis
This drug detection test is performed to find out the level of THC—as low as 50ng/mL or higher—present in your system. You can easily pass this test by drinking a detox drink to flush your system a day before the test. A detox drink is the best way to clean your system for a urine drug test. You can also use a detox kit to remove the traces of marijuana from your blood permanently.
Types of Urine Analysis
Two types of urine tests are used to detect levels of THC in your blood, including:
- Immunoassay test
- Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) test
Hair Analysis
This analysis is a two-part test that confirms the presence of THC in your system. Remember, marijuana is detectable in your hair follicles days after you’ve smoked it. These tests include:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
- Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry GC/MS
To perform this test, about 100—120 strands (100 mg) of your hair are collected from your scalp. This test can detect the use of THC 90 days after you have consumed the drug.
Blood Analysis
A blood test is one of the most effective ways to identify the recent use of cannabis in your system. A detectable amount of THC enters your blood as soon as you smoke weed. This means THC from one puff with a friend or one joint lasts in your system for 1-7 days. This amount can be detected with blood tests.
THC stays in the blood of frequent marijuana consumers for longer than a week. It can be detected in the blood of frequent smokers for up to months after quitting.
Saliva Analysis
Mouth swabs or saliva analysis is getting more popular these days. That’s because this test is a quick and exceptionally effective way to administer and acquire accurate results concerning the recent use of marijuana. But this test is only used to detect the recent use of weed.
Law enforcement authorities use this test to confirm if someone has been driving a vehicle under the influence of marijuana.
Common Methods to Pass a Drug Test
Listed below are some of the best methods to get THC out of your system and to pass a THC drug test.
Natural Cleanse
Your body requires 30 to 60 days to complete a natural THC cleanse because weed stays in your bloodstream for a long time. For that, you need to make some lifestyle changes. You need to align your eating habits with eliminating the marijuana in your bloodstream.
The pace at which THC leaves your body varies from person to person. Most people get THC out of their system within a matter of weeks. But because marijuana gets stored in your fat cells, heavy smokers require over 90 days to get THC out of their system after their last puff.
Detox Drinks
If you want to expedite your body’s natural detoxification process, you will find same-day-detox drinks very helpful. For example, the popular detox drink Jazz. You can draw your own conclusions about this drink by reading jazz total detox reviews from real users. They also make it easy for those who are just about to be tested to test clean.
Since THC stays in the urine for a long time, these products strip off your urine indicators. The indicators show whether or not a person has consumed drugs. This makes these drinks an ideal way to get weed out of your pee before being tested.
Detox Kit
A detox kit is much more effective than a detox drink. Rather than stripping your urine of the indicators—the thing the tester looks for in a sample—it ensures your samples are completely THC-free. Unlike detox drinks, detox kits permanently flush the detectable levels of THC out of your system.
These kits are herbal supplements that help your body speed up its natural detox process. Some detox kits also include detox shampoos. While using these kits, you need to quit marijuana completely. You can use a home test kit to test the presence of detectable THC in your system before going for an official test.
Home Remedies
You can also use some home remedies to get weed out of your pee. You can drink lemon juice, cranberry juice, tea, apple cider vinegar, and more. These remedies are not as effective as the above-mentioned techniques. But it will dilute the level of THC so that it doesn’t show as strongly as it would originally.
Conclusion
Naturally cleansing your body is the best way to get rid of THC from your system. The methods mentioned above will only accelerate the process, but none of them offer an instantaneous cleanse. Most of these methods even have great health benefits, which can serve as your first step to a healthier sober life.