How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System?

As a weed enthusiast, you have probably wondered how long weed stays in your system. Specifically, for how long will a drug test detect any THC levels in your body? Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the psychoactive component in marijuana. It is what makes you feel “high.”

Important Factors in Determining THC Levels in the Body

The length of time that weed stays in your body depends upon a variety of factors, including:

• the dosage and frequency of use
• the method of consumption (smokeable, edible, etc.)
• the amount of THC in the cannabis
• the sensitivity level of the drug test
• the method of drug test (hair, urine, saliva, blood)
• the user’s body make up (size, muscle v. fat, etc.)
• the user’s metabolism
• the user’s hydration level
• the user’s genetics

How Your Body Processes THC

In general, once THC is consumed, it travels through your bloodstream and into your liver. Most THC is metabolized through the liver, but it is also absorbed into other bodily tissues and organs. Eventually, the stored THC is released into the bloodstream. As your body continues to process and excrete THC from the body, your THC levels will decrease. For chronic weed users, THC accumulates in fatty tissues within the body quicker than the body can excrete it.

Length of Time Weed Stays in Your System

There is no standard amount of time in which THC levels will dissipate from within the body. The above-mentioned factors such as dose, frequency, body fat, metabolism, hydration, etc. all play a role in how quickly THC levels disappear from the body. THC levels are detectable in hair, urine, saliva, and blood.

The type of specimen (ex. hair, urine, saliva, or blood) used for the drug test also impact the detectability of THC levels. For example, THC levels are detectable in hair for up to 90 days from the day of use. THC can be detected in urine for up to 30 days from the day of use. Conversely, saliva tests detect weed for up to 24 hours, and blood tests show THC levels for up to 12 hours from use.

Edibles (weed distributed through ingestion, rather than inhalation) take a longer amount of time to reach the organs and bloodstream. It takes the liver longer to break down the THC in edibles. However, edibles will stay in your system about the same length of time as weed ingested through inhalation.

How to Rid the Body of Weed

There is no magic formula when it comes to lowering and removing THC levels from the body. Our bodies need time to break down and remove THC. Hydration and metabolism play critical roles in decreasing the concentration of THC. Each person metabolizes and eliminates weed from their body at varying rates. Time is the most important factor in lowering THC levels.