How Long Does CBD Oil Stay In Your System? [Complete Guide]
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CBD products are now legal in Australia as long as you have a prescription and buy CBD from a legitimate source. That said, some cannabis detecting drug tests can detect the minute quantities of THC in most CBD oils giving a positive result.
This is why it's important to know how long CBD and THC will stay in your system. That way, if you have a drug test coming along, you can plan ahead and either stop taking CBD for a while or discuss your options with the drug testing facility.
In this guide, we'll answer the question, "how long does CBD stay in your system?". We'll also discuss the factors that affect how long CBD remains detectable in your system and whether or not this specific cannabinoid will show up in your drug test.
Let's dive in!
- How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?
- Does CBD Show Up on a Drug Test?
- How Long Does It Take for CBD to Take Effect?
- Conclusion
1. How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?
CBD is one of the many naturally occurring compounds in cannabis and is not psychoactive . THC on the other hand is the most common cannabinoid in cannabis and is psychoactive.
It is important to note that most drug tests do not detect CBD, and only detect THC. Because of the negative stigma around cannabis, if testing centres detect CBD or other cannabinoids in your system, your drug test will likely come out positive. This is why those that consume CBD oil and similar products must be aware of how long CBD and THC from CBD medications stays in their system to ensure that they don't get into any trouble because of a positive drug test result.
On average, metabolites from CBD medications stays in your system for around 11-28 days with a half life of 1-2 days. That said, the exact length of time CBD and THC remains detectable in your system can differ depending on various factors. Here are some of the factors that affect the length of time CBD remains detectable in the human body.
The Quantity of THC in the Medication
Seeing as the vast majority of cannabis tests only detect THC and not CBD. The quantity of THC in the medication will play a major role in how long cannabis will be detectable in your system. CBD isolate and broad spectrum oils contain no THC; while full spectrum CBD oil normally contains around 2% THC.
How Much Medication You Took
The makor factor to consider is how much of the cannabis medication you take. Like any other substance, the more THC you take, the longer it stays in your system. If you've taken a large dosage, there's a higher chance that it will be able to detect THC metabolites. This is why it's always best to follow your doctor's recommendation on dosage to ensure the substance won't be detectable for as long.
How Often You Take CBD
Another major factor that determines the length of time drug tests can detect CBD is how often you take CBD-infused products. Like with THC, CBD builds up in your body the more you take it. So, if you take CBD every day, there's a high chance that the substance will remain in your system for much longer. But if you use CBD sparingly, it will stay in your system for a relatively shorter time.
Your Overall Diet
The kind of food you eat and how much you eat greatly affect the length of time tests can detect cannabinoids. For example, if you take CBD oil on an empty stomach and don't eat that much, your body processes CBD and THC faster, so it won't stay in your system too long. However, if you have a full stomach, digestion is a bit slower, so the cannabis oil might stay in your system for a longer time.
That said, if you want your body to break down the CBD as quickly as possible, it's best to eat after eating a decent amount.
Your Metabolism
Everyone's metabolism works differently. Some people can metabolise compounds fast, while others have slow metabolisms that take a while to break down different compounds. So, if you have a slow metabolism, it will take much longer for the CBD to leave your digestive system. And if you have a fast metabolism, the CBD won't stay for as long.
Basically, the faster your metabolism, the faster CBD leaves your system. The slower your metabolism, the longer CBD stays detectable.
2. Does CBD Show Up on a Drug Test?
One of the reasons people ask how long CBD stay in your system is because they don't want to turn up a positive result on a drug test. Luckily, if the drug test isn't specifically testing for CBD isolate, CBD will not turn up in a drug test (urine test, hair tests and most lab tests).
For example, in most drug tests conducted on the roadside or for employment, testers aren't looking for CBD. Instead, they look for THC, which is the psychoactive compound known for getting a person "high''.
So, as long as you're taking CBD products without any THC, you should be fine.
That said, keep in mind that most CBD products on the market have trace amounts of THC. So, if you take CBD oil and similar products like CBD gummies often or the specific CBD product you take contains THC, then you will likely turn up a positive result during a drug screening.
Additionally, several factors affect whether or not you'll test positive for CBD. For example, saliva tests, blood tests, and urine tests show different data. So, CBD may last longer in urine samples compared to saliva samples, but it won't stay as long as in a blood sample.
3. How Long Does It Take for CBD to Take Effect?
Another major question people have about CBD is how fast CBD takes effect. And just like with how long CBD stays in your system, the answer largely depends on how you intake the broad spectrum CBD products and how much you take.
To start, smoking and vaping hemp-derived CBD products allows the substance to take effect much faster. So, if you want cannabis products to reach your bloodstream faster, we suggest smoking or vaping them.
The most common method for taking CBD frequently is through edibles and tinctures. When you take the products orally, it will take one to three hours to take effect.
4. Conclusion
There are a variety of reasons why people may choose to have no cannabis in their system. A very common one is many people choose to stop taking medications before attempting to become pregnant. If you are looking to have no cannabis (CBD and THC) in your system, you may need to stop taking the CBD oil three weeks before required, for the best possible results.