CBD has become very popular these days as a health and wellness product and many people are now using CBD products to treat health issues or to ensure general wellness. CBD comes from hemp plants that contain many compounds like terpenes, cannabinoids, and flavonoids. The composition of these will vary as per the plant variety and strains. Like CBD, THC is another cannabinoid that is present in the cannabis plants and it is this compound that causes the infamous marijuana high.
Even though hemp and marijuana are in the same family of plants, hemp contains only very little amounts of THC and so hemp plant extracts will not make you high. Many people worry if CBD can fail them in drug tests. Drug tests look for the presence of THC in the body and so cannabidiol or CBD should not show up in drug tests. This being the case, many of the CBD products available in the market contain small amounts of THC, which is allowed by federal law. As per the law, legal CBD products can contain 0.3% or less THC in it.
There are no strict regulations regarding the quality of CBD products available in the market and if enough THC is present in the CBD product that you use, it can show up in a drug test. Read ahead to know how to avoid a positive drug test result.
Why Some CBD Products Contain THC?
Most of the legally available CBD products are not regulated by the FDA and so, it might be difficult for a consumer to know what is in them. Things like the source of the CBD extract and the method of harvesting can increase the chances of THC contamination in the product. There are different types of CBD products and some of the types are less likely to have THC in them.
How Much THC Should Be Present To Show Up On A Drug Test?
Common drug tests look for the presence of THC or its metabolite THC-COOH. There are federal workplace drug test cut off values in place to avoid trace amounts of THC or its metabolite triggering positive results. This means that passing a drug test does not mean that there is no THC in your body. It just means that the amount of THC or THC-COOH in your system is below the cutoff value set by the authorities. Some of the testing methods and cut-off values are discussed below.
Blood
Blood tests are usually uncommon for drug screening and are unlikely in workplace drug tests. The reason is that THC is quickly eliminated from the bloodstream of the user and will be detectable in the blood plasma for just five hours. However, THC metabolites will be detectable for almost a week. Blood tests are mainly used to find present impairment like driving under the influence. In those states where cannabis use is legal, a concentration of 1,2 or 5 ng/mL THC blood concentration usually suggests impairment.
Hair
This is also an uncommon drug testing method and there are no established cutoffs for the presence of THC metabolites in hair. Metabolites of THC will be detectable in the hair of the user for almost three months. The private industry cutoff for THC metabolites in hair is 1 picogram per milligram of THC-COOH.
Urine
Urine testing for cannabis is very common these days. To show up in the urine test, THC-COOH should be present in a concentration of 50 ng/mL. the detection window in a urine drug test can vary much as per the frequency of use and dosage. Usually, THC metabolites will be present in the urine of the user from three to fifteen days after use. However, frequent and heavy cannabis use can result in long detection windows that can extend to more than thirty days.
Saliva
This is also an uncommon drug testing method and there are no established cut-off values for finding the presence of THC in saliva. As per a set of recommendations, a cut off value of 4ng/mL is suggested. THC can be detected in the oral fluids of the user for about 72 hours after usage. However, the detection window can be long chronic, and heavy users.
What Else Can Lead To Positive Drug Test Result?
There can be many reasons for CBD use leading to positive drug test results. Some of them are:
Secondhand THC Exposure
Even though it is much unlikely that you will be tested positive for THC after exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke, it is possible in some cases.
Cross Contamination
The potential of cross-contamination during the manufacturing of the CBD product is more if the manufacturer also makes products that contain THC.
Mislabeling
As there are no strict regulations for CBD products, the products can be mislabeled. Mislabeling is much common in the CBD industry, as per some studies.