How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?

It seems that CBD is rising in popularity these days. Many companies incorporate the said ingredient into food, drink, pharmaceuticals, or beauty products.

Because CBD is a relatively new ingredient, many people don’t know how long CBD stays in your body. To shed light on the topic, this is what this article will focus on.

What is CBD?

CBD is an acronym for cannabidiol. It’s primarily derived from the cannabis plant, which is the source of worry for most people who want to try it. Among the reasons why most people ask the question above is the concern that they might fail a drug test. After all, most cannabis plants contain THC, which the usual drug tests will look for.

Can CBD Show in a Drug Test?

Theoretically, you should not get a positive drug test result for using CBD.

However, it’s not that simple in a real-life setting. There are plenty of ways a CBD product can get contaminated with THC. And, if a drug test is sensitive enough, it’s possible to get a positive result depending on the level of THC contamination.

Hence, it would be best to get your CBD from a trusted and reliable source to minimize such problems. But let’s get back to the original question.

How Long Does CBD Stay In Your System?

This is not a simple question to answer because everyone is different. And, you have factors that you need to consider to determine a reasonable estimate. Some of the factors include:

* Frequency of use

* Dosage

* The last time CBD was introduced to the body

* Physical factors such as weight, age, metabolism, and genetics

Like THC, CBD is fat-soluble, meaning that the body will store it in the fat cells. Hence, your Body Mass Index will significantly affect how long it will stay in your system. The higher the percentage of fat in your body, the probability that it will last longer in your body also goes higher.

Another major factor to consider is how you took the CBD. CBD can be introduced to the body via dried flowers, edibles, dietary supplements, vapes, topicals, or oils to name a few examples.

As a general rule, the faster your mode of administration, the quicker it will also disappear from your system.

CBD Being Processed

For example, if you use a vaporizer or smoke a CBD-infused dried flower, the mode of administration is through the lungs, which is among the fastest. Hence, vaping or smoking CBD means the substance will also disappear faster in your body.

On the other hand, CBD as a dietary supplement goes through the digestive system, which is among the slowest form of administration. Hence, you can expect CBD to stay longer in your body.

Generally, the effects of CBD will stay between one to three hours. However, it’s crucial to understand that just because you don’t feel the effects anymore, it doesn’t mean that CBD is no longer in your body.

The CBD’s half-life is around 18 to 23 hours. However, it can still be detected by a laboratory test for much longer than that. Having said that, there’s no drug test for CBD as it’s not an illegal substance in most countries.

Related: Delta 8 THC – All You Need to Know

On the other hand, CBD products are not monitored and regulated by the FDA. As a result, THC contamination in CBD products is possible. Furthermore, the more use CBD products, the higher the chances of getting unlucky with a contaminated product.

Lastly, just because you didn’t get a THC positive in your last drug test, it doesn’t mean that the product is entirely free from THC. It could be there’s THC, but the concentration is not high enough to produce a positive drug test result.

It’s one of the reasons why if you are worried about drug tests, you should be very careful about where you are getting your CBD products.

How Long Does CBD Stay In Specific Parts Of The Body?

While CBD is majorly stored in the fat cells, the body will also choose to store it in other parts.

Urine – urine is perhaps the most commonly used medium for drug tests. For frequent and daily users, CBD may be detected in the urine within fifteen days from the last time it was taken. However, keep in mind that the margin of error is very wide. There are cases where it can still be detected even after a month or even up to six months.

Hair – it’s possible to detect CBD in the hair. However, testing for such using this medium is very uncommon. It’s estimated that CBD may be detected up to three months after the last time you have taken the said substance.

Blood – since the body’s delivery system primarily relies on the circulatory system, it’s no surprise that CBD can be detected in the blood. However, blood testing is not that common as CBD quickly disappears from the bloodstream. On average, CBD only stays in the blood from 5 hours to a week.

Saliva – it’s also possible to detect CBD using saliva. However, just like the blood, it disappears relatively quickly. On average, CBD only stays on the saliva for up to 36 hours. Of course, if you consume large quantities and in increased frequency, it may last longer than that.

Wrapping It All Up

The effects of CBD may last between one to three hours. However, it will stay in your system for far longer than that. The average estimate is that CBD may be present in larger amounts within your system for about 2 to 5 days. Residual amounts can linger for several weeks.

However, there is a wide margin of error for this estimate. One reason for that is because of the many factors that need to be considered, like genetics, body mass index, frequency of use, and mode of transmission.

Keep in mind that CBD is not illegal, and there is hardly anyone testing for it. What most drug test is searching for is THC. Both CBD and THC come from the same plant. For people who may have tested positive for a drug test and have only been using CBD, contamination is the primary reason.