CBD (cannabidiol) oil has recently surged into the therapeutic spotlight due to its perceived seizure-suppressing, anti-anxiety, pain-relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, with the increased popularity and consumption of CBD comes the concern of detecting CBD and THC or its metabolites in a drug test.
As drug testing is now common in the United States, it is vital to know whether your CBD oil will show up on a drug test.
Will CBD Show Up on a Drug Test?
Most of the time, CBD oil will not cause you to fail a drug test. Most people successfully passed a drug test even after many days of prolonged CBD use. In addition, most employers, pain-management doctors, and law enforcement agencies abide by the SAMHSA guidelines, which include THC detection and exclude the detection for CBD.
That is because CBD is not psychoactive as it does not contain the primary intoxicant called THC; hence, it fails to create the high that is associated with the consumption of THC.
But what if the CBD you consume has some traces of THC? Since a drug test checks for the presence of THC, any trace amounts of it in your CBD oil can cause you to fail the test.
That is why many top CBD brands avoid producing CBD oils that contain THC. Even though 0.3% of THC is legally allowed in CBD products, prospective users need to know whether this can impact their drug tests.
Thankfully, you can still find a CBD product that has no traces of the intoxicating compound.
For example, some top CBD companies offer products with infused isolated CBD. These isolates are up to 99% pure. It is in the form of white crystalline powder. It does not even contain trace amounts of phospholipids and is free of anything other than CBD.
Taking this type of CBD product with no traces of THC and other plant-based components will lead to a zero risk of drug screening failure.
However, you must be careful about the CBD product you consume. That’sThat’s because some brands may state that they eliminated THC from their product, which may not be entirely accurate.
CBD Oil May Cause You to Fail a Drug Test
So, why will CBD show up on a drug test when you use CBD oil?
As mentioned above, the presence of THC and other illegal or controlled substances is what drug tests are usually looking to detect.
The CBD oils you find in local and online stores are made from the hemp plant and not from marijuana. CBD is the most abundant compound in the hemp plant and has only a trace amount of THC, unlike marijuana strains with a high THC content.
By law, any hemp-derived product must have 0.3% THC or less; this is why they do not produce an intoxicating effect. However, if the trace amount exceeds 0.3%, it is enough to show up on a drug test.
CBD Oils and THC Concentration
There are three main types of CBD products and oils available in the market with different concentrations of THC.
CBD Oil Made From Cbd Isolate
CBD isolates are the purest and the cleanest form of CBD. This white crystalline powder does not even contain trace amounts of phospholipids and is free of anything other than CBD. Therefore, the products that contain CBD isolate do not pose the risk of failing a drug test.
CBD Oil Made From Broad-spectrum CBD
Broad-spectrum CBD contains some compounds which are naturally present in the cannabis plant. These compounds are cannabinol, phospholipids, terpenes, and cannabichromene (CBC). Broad-spectrum CBD is also THC-free and carries a lower risk for drug detection.
CBD Oil Made From Full Spectrum CBD
Full Spectrum CBD contains various hemp plant extracts. It also has a trace amount of 0.3% THC, making it different from isolated and broad-spectrum CBD.
THC levels in this type of CBD oil are detectable, so they pose the highest risk of failing a drug test to its users.
Factors Affecting the Risk of Failing a Drug Test
CBD Oil Dosage
What is the recommended dosage of CBD oil that does not show up on a drug test?
People who take an average of 25 mg to 50 mg of CBD oil per day are more likely to pass a drug test than people who consume much higher doses. It depends on factors like metabolism and your body’s ability to flush out CBD.
Metabolism
Your drug test will be positive for the presence of THC as long as it stays in your bloodstream.
So the rate at which your body breaks down and absorbs THC and other natural compounds in the cannabis plant will determine how long these compounds will remain in your system.
People who metabolize THC and CBD oil faster than others will have a lower risk of failing a drug test.
Usage Duration
New CBD users often have a lower risk of failing a drug test than experienced users who have been using the product for a prolonged time. However, this depends on the users’ metabolism as THC levels can build up with time.
If you increase your CBD consumption with time, there is a likelihood of showing up on a drug test.
Mislabelled Products
Hemp-derived CBD oil is not legally allowed to have more than 0.3% THC. Although, some suppliers mislabel their CBD oil products. According to the label, these products are THC-free. But they contain THC or marijuana extracts.
A study found that up to 70% of the CBD products available in online stores are not appropriately labeled. The FDA does not provide strict regulations for CBD products, which is why there’s widespread product mislabeling. So if you consume a mislabelled product, unfortunately, you’re likely to fail a drug test.
Second Hand THC Exposure
Accidental marijuana exposure (via secondhand smoke) may not be enough to make you high, but it can trigger a positive drug test result.
Studies show that passive smoking can have adverse effects on your health. Consequently, if you inhale the smoke which contains enough THC, it can make your drug test positive as it enters your body through inhalation.
What Is a Safe CBD Dosage?
Since a high CBD dosage can affect your drug test, it is vital to know the safe dosage.
If you consume a very low dosage, it will not affect your body in any way. So, consider your CBD dosage wasted.
On the other hand, if you consume a very high CBD dosage, you will experience side effects such as nausea or headaches.
So what is a safe dosage? There isn’t a specific dosage for everyone because you can get the desired results from 1 milligram of CBD or 100 milligrams of CBD, depending on your requirement.
So firstly, you’ll have to experiment with the dosage. Try to consume a low dosage and gradually increase it to find what suits you best. First, however, make sure that your CBD oil or other products do not contain more than 0.3% THC.
What Does THC Free Mean in the CBD World?
A CBD oil product marketed as “zero THC” or “THC free” does not necessarily mean that it doesn’t contain trace amounts of THC.
THC-free means that the product’s THC levels are below the testing laboratory or manufacturer’s detection limits in the CBD world. This limit of detection is the lowest amount of a substance that the testing equipment can detect.
For instance, a product with a third-party lab report that shows ” <LOQ” (less than the limit of quantitation), “ND” (none detected), or 0.0% THC level can still have traces of THC of about 0.03%.
However, a more sensitive drug test can still detect these trace amounts of Tetrahydrocannabinol. But if you’re taking the average daily doses of this product, you may not test positive.
How Long Do THC and CBD Stay in Your System?
According to Healthline.com, the type of drug test being administered determines how long CBD and THC are detectable in your body.
Hair Testing
Although hair testing is uncommon, it is vital to know the period during which CBD and THC hair testing results come out as positive.
The average period of THC detection in hair is up to 90 days or three months.
Saliva Testing
THC is detectable in body fluids and saliva. It stays in the system for the following days:
- Heavy users (multiple times a day): 1 to 29 days
- Occasional users (up to 3 times a week): 1 to 3 days
Blood Testing
Blood testing for THC is not standard because it is eliminated from the blood within five hours. A blood test for THC can detect other metabolites if THC is not present. However, the presence of metabolites does not guarantee that THC was a part of the bloodstream.
Although some sensitive tests can detect it within 20 days.
Urine Testing
Urine testing is the most common test for cannabidiol and other metabolites. It stays in the system for the following days:
- Heavy users: more than thirty days
- Regular / daily user: 10 – 15 days
- Moderate users (4 times per week): 5 – 7 days
- Occasional users: 3 days
What Can You Do to Get THC Out of Your System Quicker?
According to users’ recommendations, some of the following things can help you get THC out of your system quickly.
- Eating healthy
- Exercising
- Drinking a lot of water
Although THC is not eliminated from your system, these factors only speed up the process. Furthermore, the amount of time THC takes to leave the body system depends on different unique factors for each individual.
What Can I Do to Avoid a Positive Drug Test?
If you consume CBD oil regularly, below are some measures you can take to avoid a positive drug test.
- Carry out intensive research on your specific CBD product to ensure that it is pure and from a reputable company.
- Make sure that you don’t consume mislabelled products.
- Ensure the product is not a low-quality tincture.
- Make sure that the product is made from an isolated CBD extracted from a quality industrial hemp source.
- Ask about the processing techniques used when extracting and manufacturing the product.
- Avoid secondhand and accidental exposure to THC by avoiding contact from THC users or staying in the room with a heavy marijuana smoker.
If you know that you have to get tested, avoid the drugs and medications listed below.
- Dronabinol
- Efavirenz
- Pantoprazole
- NSAIDs like sulindac, naproxen, and ibuprofen
These can cause a false-positive result for THC or cannabis on a urine drug test. That is why you should consult with your physician before taking these medications.
Final Words
Will CBD show up on a drug test? Not all the time!
Not every CBD oil user will test positive for THC. However, there are meager chances of testing positive for THC or getting a false positive from consuming the oil with a concentration of 0.3%.
However, the FDA’s CBD products are not well regulated, so there isn’t a guarantee that a product contains THC at adequate or safe levels. That is why it is essential to tread cautiously and do proper research before you purchase CBD products.
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