How Long Is THC Detectable?
For Urine, Blood, Hair and Saliva?
Answer: It depends
The effects from using THC will usually disappear within a few hours of use but the metabolites for which labs test can linger in the system for days or weeks. Detection depends on a few factors including the type of drug test, the frequency of use, the quantity of use and lastly general lifestyle choices.
How HARD IS IT TO PASS A Screen?
Passing a drug test in 2024 is EASY if you follow the instructions below in combination with a reputable detox kit like the Verdant Herbals 48 Hour THC Detox Kit. Additionally, it’s important to take into account and be honest with yourself about the frequency of your use. Cheating isn't smart and you always run the risk of getting caught, the screening labs are too sophisticated to fall for fake urine or someone else’s urine. Dilution and diuretics are helpful but they're not guaranteed. The best thing you can do is "amplify" your body's naturally occurring detoxification functions and truly flush your system of detectable metabolites. Continue reading to understand detection and what you can do to ensure you pass your drug screen.
THC Metabolites
The primary psychoactive ingredient – Tetrahydrocannabinol, will enter the user’s bloodstream shortly after use and then be metabolized over the next 3 to 24 hours. As you’ve likely heard, the remaining THC metabolites are stored in fat and gradually released through the body’s natural detox functions which include urine, feces and sweat. Although it varies person to person, on average 20% is excreted in urine, 65% in feces and the remainder in sweat.
Urinalysis and Detection Times
Urine drug tests are the most frequently administered type of drug test given their low cost, accuracy and extended detection times. A urine screen is based on the main metabolite 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid. Some metabolites have an elimination half-life of less than 24 hours but most credentialed experts agree the remainder won’t be released from the body’s fatty tissues for 15 to 30 days. There have been reports of detection times longer than 30 days but this has been extremely rare; the most credible source and recent (last updated January 2023) study on detection times has been by the Mayo Medical Laboratories:
Single Use: detection time up to 7-14 days
Moderate Use (four times a week): detection time up to 14-21 days
Heavy Use (daily): detection time up to 21-60 days
Chronic Heavy Use (multiple times a day): detection time up to 60-90 days
Other Types of Drug Testing methodologies
Other common testing methods include saliva, blood and hair; each offer different advantages and disadvantages to the tester.
Saliva Testing
Saliva testing is the second most popular type of drug test simply because it is less invasive then the others. Saliva testing also offers an observed and onsite collection which can deter cheaters. Saliva drug tests can detect recent drug use, usually from a few days to a couple weeks.
We highly recommend following the five steps listed near the end of this article for users that are facing a saliva test as well as using our Detox Kit.
Blood Testing
Blood testing is the most expensive and invasive of all drug testing methods and also happens to be the most accurate. Metabolites are detectable in the bloodstream within minutes of use and will remain as previously stated for up to 24 hours.
Again, we recommend follow the six steps listed near the end of this article as effective ways to “burn” metabolites out of the users system.
Hair Testing
The least popular type of drug testing is from hair follicles. Hair follicle testing can be used to assess use up to 90 days since it is based off residue left in the hair. The disadvantage of hair testing is that it is often inaccurate regarding amounts and timing of last use. Since much of today’s workplace drug testing is dependent on whether an employee is impaired while on duty typically makes hair drug testing unreliable.
That being said there’s still many steps a user can take to ensure their hair is free of detectable metabolites. We have found success with hair testing by following the steps listed below as wells as the use of our detox kit and a soap like Dr. Bronners which can be found at most grocery stores. Most of the “detox shampoos” on the market today are not what they claim to be; they’re unresearched and based off our testing ineffective.
What Other Factors Effect How Long THC Metabolites Stay In Your System?
As previously mentioned, other factors that will help you determine how long metabolites are in your system include frequency of use, quantity of use and overall health.
Frequency and Quantity
Do you use once a month, once a week or every day? Do you ingest or smoke? When you do smoke, do you only take one hit or multiple? Again, the more frequently you use (and the actual amount you consume), the more metabolites will accrue in the fatty tissue throughout your body and remain until metabolized.
How to Metabolize Faster? And pass your screen naturally?
Although how long it takes is different for everyone, eventually your body will remove toxins from you system through its natural processes mentioned in the intro. Additionally, there are ways to boost the body’s natural detox systems (urination, feces and sweating) and metabolize quicker. If you have at least three weeks until your screen and are a fairly healthy person that isn’t a very heavy smoker, then we’re confident you can detox naturally and pass your test by following the below:
Abstain from inhaling or ingesting – Obvious enough.
Eat a clean diet that is low in carbohydrates and sugar - A diet like this forces the body to metabolize fat (where metabolites are stored) instead of glucose.
Drink at the very least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day; this will help flush your system as well as assist you in maintaining a healthy metabolism.
Drink green tea; like water, this will lower detectable levels through its diuretic properties and make an individual urinate a lot which technically washes out the kidneys. Green tea can purify your blood and get everything moving on. Additionally, hydration is a key factor for a robust metabolism.
Exercise and hit the sauna, steam-room or jacuzzi – All of these will speed up one’s metabolic rate, burn metabolites and stimulate waste removal.
Lastly, get a fast acting detox kit like the one developed by Verdant Herbals. Verdant’s 2 Day Detox Kit has been evolved over years of research, testing and customer feedback to become the quickest and most reliable detox on the market. The detox uses herbal supplements and only requires the user to take 18 capsules over the course of 48 hours and will remove any detectable metabolites from their bodily systems.
Guaranteed Or Your Money Back!
Final Thoughts AND an Emergency strategy
Remember, time is your most valuable indicator when determining metabolites are still in your system or not; the more time the less likely they’ll be detected. Other important variables include frequency of use, quantity of use, metabolic rate and overall health. Home drug test can be used to find out if you’ll definitely fail a lab test but not to find out if you’ll pass; meaning, if you fail a home drug test then it’s essentially guaranteed that you’ll fail a lab test since they’re so much more accurate.
AND IF you have less than 48 hours to prepare for your screen then we recommend using our Quick Fix Plus Synthetic Urine. Although less than ideal, since it’s truly cheating the test, our urine is time tested and proven to work when admistered properly.
Good luck!