Cannabis 101

HomeHealthTesting has put together a tight two-minute video on urine, saliva and hair cannabis drug tests, which look for the cannabinoid THC. It also provides the average amount of time marijuana will still show up in your system for each test type, depending on how frequently you use cannabis.

As the video points out at the end, all of the detection times provided are averages based at looking at pools of testing victims, err candidates.

The best way to know, if you need to, is to test yourself.

Video Highlights: How Long Does Marijuana Stay in Your System?

  • THC is stored in your fat cells and the length of time it stays in your system will depend on: a) your weight, b) your body fat,  c) the amount used, d) frequency of use [0:05 mark]
  • Urine drug tests are the most commonly used drug test, which will generally show THC positive within 2-5 hours of use. [0:19 mark]
    • A ‘one-time’  or a max of a couple of times per month user may test positive for up to 1-6 days after last use [0:27 mark]
    • A ‘moderate’ or weekly user may test positive for up to 7-13 days [0:34 mark]
    • A ‘frequent’ or more than once per week user may test positive for up to 15 or more days [0:40 mark]
    • A ‘heavy’ or daily user may test positive for up to 30 or more days, with some reporting 45-90 days after last use [0:40 mark]
  • Saliva drug tests have the shortest detection period, which will generally show THC positive within 1 hour of use and will only remain positive for up to ~12 hours. [0:59 mark]
  • Hair drug tests have the longest detection period. However, THC doesn’t always bind to hair follicles, so it’s not always reliable. [1:08 mark]
    • When THC is detected in a hair drug test, it will show up from ~7 days after use, up until as long as 90 days. [1:20 mark]
    • Hair drug tests can detect chronic or daily use, but may not detect occasional use and is unlikely to detect a one-time marijuana user.  [1:26 mark]