June 04, 2018

By Ayad Maher.

In this article, we will solely talk about drug test methods for cannabis and whether there are safe and reliable ways to pass them. Other drugs usually are automatically tested, and that includes cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), MDMA, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and propoxyphene. We DO NOT condone such life ruining drugs, legalizing them or not is a different argument, though. 

How Long Does Weed Stay In Your System? 

As marijuana effect varies from a person to another, many factors need to be considered before anyone can answer this question accurately - but something we do know for sure, marijuana can stay in your system a lot longer than any other recreational drugs (or illegal drugs for that matter). It usually requires a longer period of detoxification comparing to other substances.

Passing a drug test for marijuana can be tough. The marijuana tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the cannabis main component that will get you high, is fat soluble. Your body stores it in fat cells and it can stay in your system for a good period of time (can be detected in your system from, as few as, 3-4 days to 12 weeks). Nevertheless, many factors may impact the length of this period. For instance, users with fast metabolism can flush THC out of their system a lot faster than those who have slower metabolism.

Some of those other factors that you need to consider to be able to guess how much time you need to cleans: 

• How long you've been smoking weed?
• How long was the last time you smoked weed?
• How often do you (or did you) smoke weed?
• Strain Potency
• Body fat
• Weight 
• Metabolism
• Age
• etc.

Related article: THC and CBD, and the Entourage Effect!

Here is a quick break down:

• For those who smoke once a month or so, nothing to be afraid of, a long weekend is enough for cannabis to be out of your system (2-4 days).

• If you are a social cannabis smoker, who smokes once or couple of times a week, cannabis stays in your system for few days, up to 10-30 days. So to be on the safe side, give it at least 30 days before you take the drug test.

• However, for regular users who smoke or consume cannabis for 4-5 days (or more) a week, marijuana can stay in your system for 90 days at the most after the last time you partook. 

Three methods to detect cannabis in your system

 

Urine Analysis: The most common method is the urine analysis. Usually employers send the prospective employee to a third party clinic/medical lab to take your urine sample. The process can be monitored by the lab employee. 

A standard urine drug test measures the concentration of THC in your urine in ug/mL (usually with a cutoff at 50 ug/mL). One of the ways to get this concentration down is to dilute your urine. The problem with this method, a lot of urine drug test administrators aware of this trick, so when they notice the urine is diluted, they will make you to take the drug test again.

The less common ways for a drug test is by taking a hair, blood and/or saliva samples.

Hair testing method goes back much, much longer than urine drug testing. In fact, when you consume cannabis, it goes into the hair follicle, and then into the strands themselves, where they stay, pretty much forever.

THC can stay in your hair for months or sometimes years after the last time you smoked or consumed marijuana, different hair tests have different sensibility.

But since most labs take around 1.5 inch hair sample, cut from the root, which equates to approximately three months, in other words, it can track your marijuana usage for about 90 days.

Shaving your head can be a valid and solid way to keep "them" away from this method, nevertheless, keep in mind that you will need to remove all hair from your body, because cannabis can be detected not only on your head's hair, but also your body's; that includes armpits, chest/abdomen, leg/arms, even the groin area, if necessary. If you had removed all the possibilities, lab staff will be in non-compliance.

Finally, the Breath testing; the technology is still under development by few companies around the world, few of them already claimed success, but further research and testing still needs to be acquired before approval. Of course, once we get there, breath testing tools will become a key equipment in traffic law enforcement.

Related article: Why a Pot 'Breathalyzer' Won't Work

With that said; if you know you have a drug test, I'd suggest to abstain from smoking cannabis, or consuming it in any other way, immediately. The next step is to stick to a healthy diet and exercise. 

Step by step, how to pass the urine drug test in 72 hours

Because our bodies are different from one to another; this method will NOT guarantee getting rid of THC from your body in 72 hours, however, it's possible. So starting the process early is preferable. 

1. Intense cardio/lifting from now until your drug test. THC is stored in fat cells, metabolizing that fat is a key.

2. Drink water (can't stress this enough). At least 1 glass of water per hour the first 24 hours (that means around 15-16 glasses of water). The exercise you'll be doing will discharge the THC through the urine, and to make sure that the THC is out, you have to make sure it's flushed out of your system.

3. Take Vitamin B-6, B-3, B-12, and B-2; twice a day each. You can get them OTC from any pharmacy and they're pretty cheap.

Related article: How Much Vitamin B Complex Should a Person Take in a Day?

 For the day of the urine drug test

1. First, wake up early, and take your first piss of the day. You don't want to give your first piss of the day as a sample. It's usually loaded metabolized substance, including THC. Rule of thumb, to be on the safe side, you want to submit your third piss of the day for the drug test.

2. Second, drink at least 1/2 gallon of water, and make sure to wait till you piss it out (at least 4 hours before the drug test time). Your urine is going to be pretty clear. 

3. Third; because of all the water you've been drinking, your urine probably is very diluted, and that can be an issue if the drug test administrator notices this. To avoid this, you need to try to bring everything back to normal. An hour after you start pissing clear urine, and at least 3 hours before your drug test scheduled, take your your regular daily dose of Vitamin B-6, B-3, B-12, and B-2, and any other multivitamin. Wait an hour, and take a piss. It should be yellow-ish, if it still looks clear, talk another dose of Vitamin B-6, B-3, B-12, and B-2. That's it. Don't over do it (for more information check this piece: The Overdose Risks of Vitamins: Why Proper Dosage Matters).

4. Finally, don't have any heavy meal, keep it light. Eat as little as possible, but if you must eat then definitely no fatty foods (butter, sugar, dairy, cheese etc).

Cleansing your system, diet and detox

There are many falsifications out there about the best way to cleans, some of the information are very risky and dangerous.

For instance, many website or forums recommend some home remedies, like Goldenseal, bleach, Certo, cranberry juice, vinegar. DON'T DO IT! trust me, they're either dangers, don't work, or both.

Other suggest Synthetic Urine or substitute your urine with someone else's; both methods are, first, risky, and second, easily detectable. Or... Diluting your urine by drinking "a lot of water" before taking the test, which is also detectable and the lab will ask you to take the test again! All this water drinking was for nothing. 

Now... What to do? 

You have couple of options here: 

Detox Naturally: If you have enough time before taking the urine test, you can take the easier, safer and most efficient rout, abstain from consuming the herb, lots of liquids, diet, and exercise. Let your body take care of it and flush it out. 

Detoxification Program: If you were a regular smoker, and you have at least a  week before taking the urine test, you may want to consider this detoxification program. This program is designed for stoners, who have high level of exposure to THC. The program is also recommended for those who weight over 200 pounds regardless of the THC levels. THC will be discharged from your system in 5 days (up to 10 days, depending on the package you will get). 

Same day detoxing: there are some detoxification drinks which can help you to flush THC out of your system at that same day. Those Clean Capsules will break down THC in your body, which will help to quickly flush it out of your system. Works in 60 minutes and lasts for up to 5 hours. 

Home THC Test

We highly recommend doing an in-home marijuana test at least once. Also a day before the actually test. An at-home Cannabis (drug) test is pretty similar to taking a pregnancy test at home. It’s easy to buy from any pharmacy, super market and sometimes gas stations. It’s affordable, and all you need the privacy of your own bathroom and a urine sample.

Here are popular Home Marijuana Drug Test available in store and online:

• DrugConfirm Instant Drug Test 
• Easy@Home Marijuana Single Panel Drug Screen Test
• Urinanalysis Panel Instant Home Drug Test Kit

Also check here the most popular Home Marijuana Tests (based on sales) on Amazon, updated hourly.

Now, is it accurate? People are usually concerned when it comes to drug testing. Most of the over the counter marijuana tests claim having 99% accuracy, sometimes even more, but comparing to what professionals use in labs, no, those in home cannabis drug tests are not as accurate, nevertheless, they will provide you with some type of trustworthy results, to a degree.

What makes in-home drug test less reliable (than a lab test) is the simple dip test, on the other hand, when it comes to a professional lab testing, they have an extra step which shows confirmation, furthermore, identifying of the exact substance present in the sample.

Bonus Tips to Pass Your Urine Test

After taking the proper action, as we described earlier, here are couple of tips that you may want to do, just in case:

• Most of the THC stored in your body will be extracted through defecating, so eating a high-fiber diet is highly recommend which will help to defecate frequently through out the day.
• Starting the day before the test, no chemicals until the test (nicotine, caffeine, etc).
• Do NOT take Advil or Tylenol 48 hours before drug test. Such medications may lead to a false positive for THC. You may start nauseous or have headaches due to the water drinking, exercise and and taking all those vitamins; just slow down until the symptoms resolve. Your body is telling you to stop for a reason.

If you have any thoughts or recommendations, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment in the comments section below, you may also win a prize!  

Cheers, 

Ayad

Ayad Maher is a Cannabis Industry Entrepreneur, Blogger & Activist. eCommerce Specialist and Owner of a 420 Life Style Company; Monroe Blvd and 421Store.

Credit GIF photos Giphy

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