Marijuana, also known as cannabis or weeds, has been an obsession for many. As per the marijuana users’ statistics provided by statista.com, roughly 234 million people consume cannabis in a year worldwide.
According to evidence from studies, the human body has endocannabinoid receptors that accept cannabinoids from the weeds. The human body processes cannabinoids in several ways and produces many byproducts that stay in the body long.
There are several factors that affect how long marijuana lasts in your body.
How long does weed stay in your system?
If you are facing a drug screening test or for medical reasons, you may want to get rid of the metabolites of weed from your body. Thus, you may want to know how long the effects of cannabis last or how long it takes to leave your system.
Drugs and metabolites of substances you use are traceable in your blood, urine, saliva, or hair through lab tests. These drug tests will answer your question: How much time does marijuana last in your system?
According to research, marijuana contains a psychoactive and highly productive chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This chemical is one of at least 113 cannabinoids identified in cannabis.
The metabolization of THC takes place very quickly in your body. After taking cannabis, you don’t stay high for a long time because your body quickly metabolizes all the psychoactive substances you inhaled or ate.
However, the metabolites of cannabinoids can stay in your fatty tissues or hair follicles for a long time. These metabolites do not have any psychoactive ability but are clear indicators of previous cannabis use.
The time taken to wear out marijuana differs according to health conditions, dose, frequency, and duration.
The retention period depends on what system of the body you take into consideration. Again, it may differ for THC, weeds’ waste metabolites, or THC-COOH.
The active cannabinoids of marijuana, like TCH or delta-9 THC, will not stay in the body for a long time. However, the inactive metabolites of the weed-like THC-COOH remain in different parts of the body for a longer time.
According to the frequency and dose of marijuana use, it is detectable in bodily fluids for 1 to 30 days. Its metabolites may be detectable in hair for several months.
The marijuana detection window depends on how often you smoke or how much you ingest. The age and gender of the person also might affect how long weed stays in you.Â
If you are taking it in higher doses and more frequently, then it will stay in your system for a longer time.
People addicted to cannabis with daily use may show its traces in their system for several months after the last use.
Let us now analyze the detection windows for cannabis in hair, urine, blood, and saliva.
Urine
How long marijuana stays in your urine?
Urine testing is a commonly used drug detection method.
It should be noted that your body is eager to absorb and process psychoactive THC and other active cannabinoids from the weed you consume.
Technically speaking, only its metabolites, like THC-COOH, are detectable in urine samples. Chronic heavy use could give a positive test for THC metabolites on a urine test more than a month after the last use.
According to Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the presence of marijuana in your system is detectable in a urine drug test for the following amounts of time from the last use:
- One-time or occasional users: 3 days
- Moderately using weed up to four times a week: up to 7 days
- Chronic or daily users: up to 15 days
- Heavy users taking multiple shorts per day: from 30 to 90 days
Blood
How long does marijuana stay in your blood?
Blood tests for marijuana are apt for detecting the recent use of marijuana by anyone.
The cannabinoids enter the bloodstream within seconds after smoking or ingesting it.
You get quick euphoric sensations of being high after consuming marijuana because of the fast movement of active cannabinoids via the blood to the brain.
A report published by Therapeutic Drug Monitoring says the cannabinoids stay in the blood for up to 48 hours after the last use.
However, in some rare cases, it was possible lt detect marijuana after 25 days; it happens with chronically heavy users.
Saliva
First and foremost, saliva is typically linked to blood, considering the period marijuana sticks around in it. A saliva test looks for the same active THC as a blood test.
Within a few minutes after smoking or ingesting, its metabolites appear in the saliva.
Also, when you smoke it, Delta-9 THC, the psychoactive kind, coats the inside of your mouth and gets soaked up by your salivary glands.
According to the evidence available from the results of the saliva test, the detection time for marijuana in the saliva is:
- Occasional users: 1 to 3 days
- Chronic users: 1 to 29 days
Generally, THC will stay in your saliva for one or two days after your last puff.
Hair
How long does THC stay in your hair?
Proof of cannabis consumption stays for the longest time in your hair. In the case of chronic heavy users, hair follicle tests may show traces of marijuana for up to a year through advanced hair sample testing methods.
However, common hair tests for drugs can typically reveal a history of cannabis use up to 90 days ago.
According to evidence from clinical drug tests, the metabolites of drugs can stay in hair follicles for up to three months.
When you use marijuana, its metabolites reach the hair follicle via small blood vessels. Gradually, a considerable amount of its metabolites accumulate in the hair follicles.
On average, hair grows approximately.5 inches per month. Therefore, a one-and-a-half-inch hair segment close to the scalp may give a window for marijuana use for the past three months.
How long does weed take to metabolize?
The active substance in weed is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is one of the 113 chemical compounds found in it.
The liver breaks down THC into more than 80 metabolites. The most significant metabolites of THC are THCCOOH (11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and 11-OH-THC (11-hydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol).
Within a few minutes after having it, THC gets into the bloodstream and then reaches the brain to produce psychoactive effects. Some portion of it is temporarily stored in organs and fatty tissues.
Importantly, THC reaching the kidneys may be reabsorbed into the bloodstream once again to some extent.
Finally, THC and its metabolites go out of the body via urine and stool.
Determining FactorsÂ
‘For how long weed stays in your system’ is not identical for all users. There are a few individual factors that influence it.
A person’s age, gender, and body weight play a major role in metabolizing and eliminating a drug in the system.
Individual marijuana habits are closely related to the retention and elimination of the drug in the body. For example, the metabolites of marijuana stay longer in the system of the chronically heavy user.
In addition, certain species of it has more THC in them. People who use marijuana with a higher concentration of THC retain it in their bodies for a longer time.
Similarly, ingesting it puts higher deposits of THC in the system than smoking.
It should be noted that persons with weak functions of the liver or kidneys will take much longer to metabolize and eliminate the weed from their systems.
How can I help marijuana metabolize faster?
Many searches for products that can eliminate marijuana from the body fast enough to pass a drug test. Some even try to dodge the drug test by providing synthetic urine or someone else’s.
There isn’t any special technique to boost the process of metabolizing THC in your body.
If your liver and kidneys are functioning well, you can expect a faster elimination of THC from your body. However, the body takes its own sweet time to complete the elimination process. The length of time for elimination can vary depending on how much marijuana one used and how frequently one uses cannabis.
Apart from these, eating healthy, keeping your body well-hydrated, and getting enough physical exercise quickens this process.
How long does it take for marijuana’s effects to wear off?
The effects of marijuana, such as euphoria and a sense of relaxation, do not last very long. Normally, the effects of smoking marijuana die down within 4 hours. However, when you ingest weed, its effects remain at a peak for 4 to 6 hours.
Chronic weed users develop a progressive tolerance to THC. Therefore, the effects of the weed last for a shorter period for them.
The height of the euphoric effect also depends on the dose and frequency of consumption.
The long-term effects of this substance in your system can last several days, weeks, or months. Chronic users may suffer lifelong side effects from cannabis.
Several detox remedies are available for getting rid of the side effects of marijuana.
Keeping your body hydrated, eating a healthy diet, and exercising daily can reduce the THC effects. You may also find herbal supplements that contain creatinine or vitamin B-12 to dilute the harmful effects of weed.
The final thought
In conclusion, THC from marijuana may stay in your body for several days to several months after the last use.
The detection window for weed depends on the type of drug test used and other factors specific to the user.
Besides, frequency, dose, mode of use (smoking or ingesting), and duration of using the weed all matter.
Active THC stays in the body for 2–4 days in the blood and saliva. But in urine, the traces of this substance stay for a week or more. And with hair, it’ll stay with you for up to 90 days.
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Article source and references:
- Nation Institute Of Drug Abuse
- Iran Journal of Psychiatry
- Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- Mayo Clinic Laboratories
- Mayo Clinic
- Addiction Center