It’s estimated that 17% of Americans say they regularly use cannabis. While the use of the popular substance is becoming increasingly acceptable with legalization, it still remains illegal in many states and cities.
Because of this some employers still prefer to test potential employees to ensure that they aren’t using cannabis. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding cannabis drug tests.
For example, do edibles show up in drug tests? And how long can certain tests detect cannabis use? If you want to discover the answers to these questions, you’re in the right place.
This guide will teach you more about this important concept so you can do your best to stay clean before the test.
What Are Edibles?
Cannabis can be consumed in a lot of different ways. Typically when most people picture using it, they think of smoking or vaping. However, another common method is through edibles.
A cannabis-infused edible can include common food items like brownies or cookies. However, these days you can also find them in gummies, candies, chocolates, and even beverages.
So how do they work? Well, to get the euphoric effects associated with cannabis you need to convert THCa into THC. To do this, you need to apply heat to the substance to activate it.
Now if you’re smoking or vaping, it’s easy to see how this happens. However, with THC edibles, the cannabis goes through decarboxylation at a low temperature.
This activates the components in the cannabis and allows you to get high through ingestion.
Do Edibles Show Up in Drug Tests?
Yes, edibles will show up on most drug tests that you take. When you ingest edibles they make their way down to your liver to disperse into your bloodstream.
However, many of the cannabis compounds are also stored in your fat, hair, and other parts of your body for weeks or even months.
How Long Do Edibles Show Up in Different Types of Drug Tests?
There are a lot of different factors that can determine how long edibles will show up on drug testing. Some of these include your age, sex, metabolism speed, THC dosage, and the frequency of cannabis use.
However, one of the biggest factors is the specific type of drug test you need to take. Certain types of tests can detect cannabis compounds for far greater lengths of time than others. So in this section, we’ll be breaking down some of the popular ones.
Urine Tests
Urine tests are perhaps the most common form of the test you will encounter. This method is favored by employers and parents. Typically, the metabolized cannabis compounds will be detectable on the test for three to thirty days.
However, the specific figure for the urine test will depend on the frequency of use. In some cases, if you’re a heavy user it might remain detectable for up to two months.
Blood Tests
Blood tests are less common because it can be more inconvenient and painful to get a sample. What’s more, they’re also not very effective in terms of detecting cannabis compounds found in edibles.
Generally, you can expect edibles to be detectable on these tests for about a week. However, again this is susceptible to increase if you use the substance frequently.
Saliva Tests
THC is only detectable on saliva tests for around one to three days. However, the ease required to get a sample is making these types of tests more common in workplace environments.
That being said, as long as you don’t use cannabis immediately before coming to work, there’s a good chance you’ll pass it.
Hair Tests
Hair tests are the most effective way of detecting cannabis use in an individual. The consumption of one edible can remain detectable in a hair test for up to ninety days.
However, there is a caveat. It takes roughly one week for an edible to become detectable in a hair follicle test. So if you took an edible on Sunday and your drug test is on Tuesday, it’s likely that you would still be able to pass a hair test.
Hair tests can be expensive which makes them not as common as other types of tests. That being said, if you take one there’s a good chance your edible use will be discovered.
That being said, there are some success stories of passing hair follicle test. Just follow some common tips and you might be able to get through it clean.
Tips for Passing Your Drug Test
If you have drug tests coming up, there are some things you can do that will speed up the process of flushing detectable cannabinoids from your system. However, be careful of any advice you might hear on the internet.
Some people recommend taking potentially dangerous substances not fit for human consumption to flush your system. Always avoid these. Instead, stick to the basics. For starters, drink plenty of water.
This process helps clear out your system while diluting the amount of detectable cannabinoids from your urine. We also recommend working out a lot. As we mentioned, edibles are often stored in your fat.
So if you can burn some of it off you release these cannabinoids into your bloodstream. This, in turn, decreases the amount of detectable components found in your body.
Consider drinking a natural diuretic like tea or cranberry juice. This increases your urine output, which again is the key to passing drug tests. Lastly, remember to refrain from further THC consumption.
This will only increase the amount of THC found in your body which won’t do you any favors in an upcoming drug test.
Appreciate Learning About Drug Tests? Keep Exploring
We hope this guide helped you answer the question, Do edibles show up in drug tests? If you took an edible by mistake, we recommend trying to explain the situation to your employer.
In some cases, they might be understanding. However, if you regularly use cannabis at a job that does drug tests, we recommend looking for a different work environment that’s a little more accepting of the substance.
Want more cannabis content? If you keep on searching you’ll find loads of similar stuff on our website.
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