If you’ve been researching the potential health benefits of cannabis, you’ve probably also heard a lot about THC and CBD. These acronyms refer to two of the main compounds found in marijuana that are known to have significant effects on our bodies and minds. Armed with this knowledge, it’s easy to assume that a standard blood test will be able to tell you whether or not your body has high levels of THC or CBD. However, this isn’t always the case. Even though these compounds are responsible for many of the positive effects that can be experienced after using cannabis, they aren’t nearly detectable enough for most standard blood tests to pick up on them. In this article, we’ll go over what THC and CBD are, how they can show up in a blood test, and whether or not these chemicals show up in most standard tests.
Does THC Show Up In A Normal Blood Test?
No. The blood test is designed to look for THC’s by-products, which are stored in the fat cells of the body. THC itself is stored in the body but is released into the bloodstream in very small amounts throughout the day. Even if a person smokes marijuana daily, a blood test will not show that they have used marijuana recently.
What is THC?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol. This is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that causes the “high” sensation so many people are familiar with. THC is also responsible for many of the positive health benefits that have been associated with cannabis for years. THC has been shown to help with insomnia, anxiety, inflammation, and many other conditions. Some studies also indicate that THC may be useful in treating certain types of cancer. However, it’s important to note that not all studies agree on this. One study, in particular, found that THC actually made certain types of cancer grow faster. The reason THC has this effect on cancer cells is that it triggers a process called autophagy, which is the destruction of old or dysfunctional cells. It’s a natural process that happens when our bodies are healthy and functioning properly, but it also happens when cancer cells are getting fed up with the world and decide to end their miserable existences.
How Does THC Show Up In A Blood Test?
- THC metabolites can be found in a blood or urine test, but this is the case for all drugs and even alcohol.
- The number of THC metabolites in a blood or urine test can vary depending on the person’s metabolism rate, how much they’ve smoked recently, and how much they’ve eaten. However, there are some general guidelines that can be used to estimate your THC content for certain types of tests. For example, if you eat asparagus and then take a blood test within one hour of consuming asparagus, your THC content will likely be lower than if you ate nothing at all before taking the test.
- Because it can take up to three days for traces of THC to leave your body through urine and because people vary in their metabolisms, it’s difficult to say exactly how much THC may show up in a urine sample. If you have consumed marijuana within 60 minutes of taking the test, however, you have an increased chance of having THC metabolites in your urine.
- Some tests can detect the presence of THC metabolites in your blood or urine, but they do not give you a precise measure of how much THC you’ve taken. For example, these types of tests are often used to test for driving under the influence (DUI) and to monitor prescription drug levels.
- While it’s possible for a blood test to detect the presence of THC metabolites, it’s more likely that a urine sample will show traces of them after about one day. If you are going to take a marijuana drug test, however, it’s a good idea to urinate as soon as possible after consuming marijuana. It is also important to note that these results can be affected by diet and metabolism as well as by how much marijuana has been consumed recently and how fast it was digested.
- Although there is no set amount of time that THC will remain in your system after consumption, it usually takes about two to three days for most people to eliminate the majority of THC metabolites.
- THC can stay in the body for up to two weeks after it has been consumed. However, it is important to note that the length of time that marijuana remains in your system depends on a number of factors, including metabolism, age, gender, and how much marijuana has been consumed recently.
- There are some indications that THC continues to be present in your body for as long as four weeks after you have ceased marijuana use.
- While many people would expect the concentration of THC metabolites in their urine to decrease over time because they have eliminated all traces of THC from their bodies, this is not a common occurrence. In fact, some studies have found that THC metabolite levels may actually increase over time if you continue to consume marijuana regularly and are not taking steps to decrease or eliminate these substances from your system through detoxification methods or medication (such as naltrexone).
- As long as you are in the process of detoxifying from marijuana, you will not be able to pass a drug test for THC metabolites because your system has not yet eliminated these substances.
- THC is not metabolized by the body in the same way as many other drugs. Rather, it does not break down and is excreted through urine, feces, and sweat.
- If you are going to take a marijuana drug test, it’s important to understand that this substance can stay in your system for up to two weeks after you have stopped using marijuana or if you have been exposed to it recently (such as through smoke inhalation). In addition, there are certain factors that can increase or decrease how long these substances remain in your body after use has ceased, such as age and gender.
How To Find Out If You Have High Levels Of THC Or CBD?
- If you are going to a drug test, you should first determine what type of drug test you will be taking. This will help you to understand exactly how the tests work and why they are useful for employers or others who are testing for drugs.
- If you have decided that you will be using a urine test, the easiest way to find out if you have THC in your system is to urinate first thing in the morning before eating and drinking anything. If it’s been more than 12 hours since your last use of marijuana, then it’s very likely that THC metabolites will be present in your urine sample.
- If you have decided that you will take a blood test, then it’s important that you know how long THC can stay in your system after use has ceased (such as after a period of abstinence). The best way to do this is by taking a blood test at least one week after your last use of marijuana (or any other substance for that matter). If you do this and your THC levels are still high, then you know that it’s possible that you have been using marijuana recently.
- If you are going to take a urine test, then you need to drink a lot of water before the test. This will help dilute any THC metabolites in your urine sample and make it harder for the test to detect them.
- If you are going to take a blood test, then it’s important that you find out how long THC stays in your system after use has ceased (such as after a period of abstinence). The best way to do this is by taking a blood test at least one week after your last use of marijuana (or any other substance for that matter). If you do this and your THC levels are still high, then you know that it’s possible that you have been using marijuana recently.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in the potential health benefits of cannabis, you’ve probably also heard some things about THC and CBD. These two compounds are what make cannabis useful in the first place, and they are found in the highest concentrations in marijuana. Unfortunately, the high levels of THC and CBD in cannabis can also make them difficult to detect in a standard blood test.
