Cannabidiol (CBD) is growing in popularity, particularly as a supplement. While CBD does not contain enough tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to get you high, CBD products can contain trace amounts of THC that may be detectable in drug tests or screening. In fact, research shows that drug test methods may not be able to tell the difference between CBD and THC, which may be worrisome for job seekers, parolees, and others who need to pass a drug screen.

Does CBD stay in your system?

When you consume a product infused with CBD, THC, or any other cannabinoid, your body breaks these cannabinoids down into smaller components that it uses for various purposes. These components, known as metabolites, can remain in your system for a certain amount of time before your body gets rid of them through urine or other means. The amount of time the metabolites remain in your system depends on a number of factors including the specific metabolite, the amount of said metabolite in your system, the frequency at which you consumed the cannabis compounds, and the way in which you ingested it.

Other factors, such as your age, weight, and overall metabolism can affect how long CBD stays in your system, as well as how long you took a dose before the drug test and the dosage.

How long does CBD stay in your system?

CBD stays in your system long after you stop feeling the effects. Scientists measure how quickly the body eliminates metabolites in terms of “half life,” which is the amount of time it takes the body to eliminate half of the substance. The half-life of CBD is between 18 and 32 hours. However, lab tests can detect metabolites of CBD for much longer than that.

Most drug tests screen for THC rather than for CBD, but since full spectrum hemp extracts contains traces of THC, a drug test might come up positive for THC after using a full spectrum product. Different drug tests have different cut-off levels for a positive result. Some tests are more effective than are others when it comes to detecting these metabolites.

How long does CBD stay in your urine?

Urine tests are a common method for drug screening employees. The detection window for CBD/THC metabolites in urine tests can vary from test to test and laboratory to laboratory, but most urine tests can detect metabolites for up to two weeks after the last dose for occasional users and as long as 15 days for frequent users.

What about blood tests?

Blood tests are not as common as urine testing when it comes to cannabis because the body eliminates the metabolites from the bloodstream relatively quickly. CBD stays in the bloodstream for 2 to 5 days.

While CBD is technically legal, passing a drug test still poses a problem for many people who use full spectrum hemp products. For more information on how long CBD remains in your body, consult with your CBD or healthcare provider.