As laws change and the mysteries behind marijuana are slowly uncovered, talk of its use starts becoming commonplace. Some are evaluating its medicinal efficacy, while others are trying to find ways to flush it out of their systems on account of an upcoming drug test.
So, how exactly do you detox marijuana? Would it be too much trouble to just let your body's natural processes do it for you?
What Does Weed Leave Behind?
Smoking and ingesting marijuana delivers immediate and profound effects. However, once its effects have dissipated, you're left with metabolites. This tells you that chemical residues of the plant still remain in your system.
Cannabinoids are the metabolic remnants of cannabis. Their presence can be confirmed in the hair follicles, saliva, urine, and blood.
What Are Drug Tests After?
Drug tests look to reveal the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC and its metabolic products. In most cases, a urine test is administered since urine is where THC remains detectable for a longer period.
The main metabolite these screenings test for is THC-COOH, which is stored in body fat. Marijuana remains detectable longer compared to other drugs because of the tendency of its chemical remnants to remain in fat cells.
How Do Marijuana Detox Methods Work?
The broad range of marijuana detox methods seeks to rid the body of detectable THC. These kits can come in the form of drinks, capsules, mouthwashes, and even chewable tablets.
Mouthwashes, in particular, are known to be especially effective at helping people pass the saliva test. However, for other drug tests, commercial detox can leave effects that make samples appear suspicious. For instance, teas and cleanses, while having diuretic properties that lower THC levels, can also cause you to urinate constantly.
This frequent urination can wash out your kidneys, which lowers the density of urine. Urine that has a low specific gravity can be indicative of a test contamination, which basically renders the test null and void.
Furthermore, teas and cleanses may also affect the levels of creatinine in the urine, which tests also look at. The altering of creatinine levels can also indicate contamination. This tells the tester that a person could be attempting to cheat the test. Although cheating doesn't necessarily mean the test is positive, it does discount the sample. So, you may have to take the test again.
How THC Remains in Your System
The blood, urine, and fat cells are where THC remains even after the effects of weed have worn off. There are several factors that influence how detectable this substance is in your body, and they are:
- Percentage of body fat
- Quantity and frequency of weed use
- Exercise routine
- Eating habits and metabolism
These factors are the reason a definite time for detection doesn't exist. Estimates for how long marijuana stays in a person's system usually range from two days to three months. However, sometimes it can be even longer than that.
1. Urine
Even after long periods of abstaining from marijuana, cannabinoid metabolites can still remain in the urine. A study once found traces of the delta 1-THC metabolite in urine a month after use.
2. Fat
Fat cells store THC, which slowly spreads to the rest of the body from there. To a certain extent, exercise can speed up the release of THC from your fat tissues and into the blood.
3. Blood
Depending on the frequency and quantity of use, weed can remain in your blood for up to a week. This means if you smoke marijuana on the daily, then you'll likely carry metabolites for a longer period than one who smokes it only occasionally.
Also, keep in mind that consuming marijuana orally impacts how detectable it is using all drug tests. If you take weed in its edible forms, it's likely to remain in your system longer as opposed to when you smoke it.
4. Hair
Hair is where THC metabolites are particularly tenacious, remaining detectable in the follicles for up to 90 days after use. Weed makes its way to the follicles through small blood vessels, where it remains in trace amounts for three months or longer.
Hair grows approximately half an inch per month. This means a one and a half segment that's taken close to your scalp can give a window of marijuana usage for the past 90 days.
Flushing Weed Out of Your System
Your jurisdiction may be fine with you taking weed recreationally or medicinally, but that doesn't mean your workplace is. There are several detoxes to help flush cannabis and its metabolites out of your system, but none of them are foolproof.
Sure, most will probably get you to pass the saliva test, but their limitations will get exposed by other tests. Specific detoxes can also render your samples suspicious or discounted under some screenings, so you may have to be screened again.