Will THC Show Up on a Drug Test?

Drug tests are designed to detect tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in urine, blood and hair for many days after use. Learn more about how long it takes for THC to leave your system and how you can avoid testing positive.

Will THC Show Up on a Drug Test?

Drug tests are designed to detect the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in urine, blood, and hair for many days after use, while saliva tests can only detect THC for a few hours. This is due to the way the body metabolizes THC, which is a lipid-soluble chemical substance. In short, yes, CBD can give a positive result on a drug test. Although there are certain steps you can take to determine if the product you're buying contains as little THC as possible, there is no guarantee that the labeling is accurate due to the lack of regulation of CBD products. Rest assured that most drug tests look for the presence of THC, as well as other substances.

There is no cannabinoid test for THC on the market, and there is no reason to do so. However, full spectrum products may still contain THC. In this case, you would run the risk of testing positive for drugs. Be sure to use an isolated or broad-spectrum THC product to stay away from this risk. The short answer is yes, THC-O is likely to test positive for drugs, just like traditional and THC products.

The reason is simple: drug tests usually look for 11-hydroxy-THC, a metabolite of THC created by the body after consumption of THC. It goes without saying, but your personal metabolism affects how long a substance, including THC, will stay in your body. The researchers concluded that the specific use of hemp-derived products does not always mean that you are safe when it comes to drug testing (Lachenmeier D, Habel St, Fischer B, Herbi F, et al.). Be very careful and do your research when buying a quality CBD oil product to ensure its purity, especially if you need to undergo a drug test. Both CBD and delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are cannabinoids or active components of the cannabis sativa plant. THC-O acetate, or THC-O for short, is rapidly overshadowing other hemp-derived THC products thanks to its exaggerated potency and federal legal status. Although cannabidiol (CBD) is derived from cannabis, the same type of plant that marijuana comes from CBD should not appear on a drug test.

Hemp-derived CBD should not contain more than 0.3% THC according to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), but product tests reveal that it can sometimes exceed this legal limit at the federal level. CBD consumption can lead to a positive drug test result if the CBD product consumed contains higher levels of THC than indicated on the label; this discrepancy is not as uncommon as you might think. Inadvertent exposure to marijuana (through secondhand smoke) is unlikely to be sufficient for a person to test positive for drugs. That said, broad-spectrum CBD and CBD isolates are less likely than full-spectrum CBD to be contaminated with detectable levels of THC due to extraction methods specifically used to remove THC from formulations, as well as other terpenes and cannabinoids in the case of isolated CBD. However, while the psychoactive and intoxicating properties of THC cause a “high”, CBD does not produce the same intoxicating effects. The most common reason for failing a CBD test is that a person is using a CBD oil product that contains THC.

This is the result of direct contact with objects related to marijuana or another person who has THC in their hands. This means that people who regularly consume CBD could build up levels of THC high enough in their body to test positive. For those who use THC-O consistently, especially those who consume it daily, it can take at least 30 days from its last use to clean their system. Poison control centers encourage patients who are thinking about taking CBD products to talk to their healthcare providers first.