Today, drug testing is administered in a variety of different settings for all sorts of reasons.
The most common reason for having to take a drug test is for employment screening and random drug testing in the workplace. However, you might also be asked to take a drug test if you’re on probation or have recently been involved in a workplace or vehicular accident.
Urine testing, or urinalysis, is the most commonly used method for drug testing. This is because it is the least expensive test and some drug metabolites such as THC, remain detectable in a person’s urine for much longer than their saliva, which is another common type of drug test.
Studies have shown that nearly 1/3 of all drug tests are conducted through urinalysis. So, if you regularly smoke marijuana, it’s important that you understand how the process works, as well as what you need to do if you’re ever asked to take a urine test.
Below, we’ll go over a little bit about THC and leave you with a few helpful pointers on passing a urine test for weed.
For more information about drug testing, click here.
What is THC?
THC is one of the main chemical components found in marijuana. It is the compound that is responsible for both marijuana’s psychoactive and euphoric effects, which can leave its users with a variety of feelings from giddiness and hunger, through to paranoia and feelings of exhaustion.
THC is a fat-soluble compound. This means that once it’s broken down, it’s is stored in a person’s fat cells and can then be traced by testing samples taken from their urine, saliva, blood, or hair.
Read more about THC.
How Long Does THC Remain Detectable in Your System?
Because each one of our bodies is different, there is no straightforward answer as to how long THC will remain detectable in your system. It can range from anywhere between a week to several months, and will depend a variety of factors such as a person’s frequency of consumption, as well as their individual lifestyle and metabolism.
Generally, the half-life of THC is estimated to be about 7 days. This means that after 7 days, the drug’s metabolites found in a person’s system will have decreased to about 50%. In most cases, a person’s body will be completely rid of THC after three to four weeks, however, if the person is a frequent user, this could be significantly longer.
As mentioned, a person’s lifestyle and metabolism will also affect how long the drug will remain in their system. So, diet and physical activity can play an important role in ridding a person’s body of THC.
Passing a Urine Test for Weed
Detoxification is the process of ridding your body of any toxins and impurities that may be floating around in your bloodstream. It is also the best way to decrease the THC levels in your system in order to pass a urine test.
There are also plenty of detox products available online that can help you achieve this. Although, many of these products are not guaranteed to work and using a natural method, such as diet and exercise, are the best ways to clean up your system.
It should also be noted that your system doesn’t necessarily need to be 100% free of THC to pass a marijuana drug test. Most urine tests have a threshold limit of 50ng of THC per milliliter. Therefore, as long as you can decrease your THC levels below this, you’ll be able to pass a urine test.
That being said, as soon as you find out that you’ll need to take a urine test, it’s important to abstain from using marijuana in all forms. Then, the next step will be to begin detoxing your body as soon as possible.
Hydrate and Eat Healthy Foods
This involves drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy diet in order to help flush out any traces of THC in your system. Fiber-rich foods and those with higher levels of antioxidants are the best to use during the detox process. This includes brightly colored foods and leafy green vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, kale, berries, and walnuts.
Taking supplements such as beta-carotene or Vitamin C and E is also recommended because they are natural antioxidants and will help breakdown any remain THC metabolites in your body.
Also, try to avoid consuming any sort of junk foods. These are known to cause water retention and slow your metabolism down making it harder for your body to clean itself.
Exercise and Use a Sauna
Our bodies can also rid themselves of toxins by sweating. Therefore, regularly exercise and using a sauna can be very effective methods of naturally detoxing our systems.
Just remember to avoid any strenuous physical exercise the day before your urine test because THC levels in your blood can actually spike within 24 hours after working out.
Read more about marijuana drug testing here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_drug_testing
What If My Urine Test is Tomorrow?
Taking a urine test within 24 hours of using can be much riskier than if you have the time to prepare. However, there are several things that you can do to decrease your risk of coming back with a positive result.
For starters, see if you can schedule your urine test for a later time in the day. THC metabolites tend to build up in your system while you’re sleeping. Therefore, your first urination of the day will contain higher levels of THC than at a later time.
Secondly, make sure to drink plenty of water before the test, but don’t over do it. It’s best to try and drink between two and three liters the day before testing, and no more than one or two liters on the day of the test. If you drink too much water, you run the risk of having a diluted urine sample and you may be asked to take the test again.
Finally, you can also improve your chances of passing a urine test by taking B vitamins the day before and the day of testing.