How long does marijuana stay in your blood (for the purpose of a premployment urine test)?

Question

I need to take a drug test for my job tomorrow morning. The last time I smoked marijuana was on December 3. I was a fairly heavy pot smoker, several bong hits a day...I had cut back about two weeks before I totally stopped. The last day I smoked was December 3. HELP! (I don't have time to take any drinks or potions!)

Answer 1

i think you should be fine THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) can stay in a person's body for as long as 3 to 90 days after smoking or being ingested orally.There are numerous determining factors for how long drug toxins stay in a persons body which vary from person to person, such as the analytical
method used, your health, your body weight, metabolism, fluid intake, the type of drug toxin, and the degree of exposure to the drug toxin.

Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, one of nearly 400 chemicals in a cannabis plant, accounts for most of marijuana's psychoactive, or mind-altering, effects. The strength of the drug is determined by the amount of THC it contains which varies from plant to plant. Marijuana stays in your system for different amounts of time depending on how often you smoke it, how much you smoke, and the makeup of the individual (weight/height/etc.).If you smoke it occasionally it will remain in your system for up to 10 days. If you smoke marijuana on a regular basis it will stay in your system for as long as 45 days, and if you smoke marijuana at a constant pace, it can stay in the body for 90 days, Marijuana is fat soluble. It stores in the fat cells of the body, the brain, the liver, the kidneys, in other words the major organs.

Delta-9-THC enters the bloodstream rapidly after smoking (in minutes) or more slowly when ingested orally (20 minutes to 1.5 hours). It is rapidly metabolized into inert molecules known as metabolites. These chemicals also have the word Tetrahydrocannabinol in them and are called THC, which can be quite confusing.


Delta-9-THC is detectable in the blood for a few hours, but none of this active chemical is found in the urine or stored in the fatty tissues such as the liver and brain.


What is frequently described as THC's lingering in the body fluids and organs are metabolites of Delta-9-THC, the inert substances that the body disposes of in the urine and excrement, in much the same way as it disposes with Vitamin A. It is these that are detected in the body organs and urine, long after the effects of Delta-9-THC have worn off. These metabolites can linger more than 90 days in some cases. For occasional users, an average of 13 days was recorded. Some people had metabolites detectable for just three days; others found the substances still in the urine after up to 30 days

The best way to figure this for your own body is to set up a control for your own use. Smoke your average bowl or joint or marijuana at one sitting (if you smoke more than 2, go right ahead but make sure you smoke it all less than 1 hour) , and wait 3 days (no smoking any at all) then take a drug test bought from a drug store, if it turned out positive, you need to wait 3 more days and repeat the process.

Many people would think this would be a waste of time, but I have proven it for myself and saved my job many times (cannabis stays in my system for 15 days) and saved me money not buying detoxifying drinks. It is better to know for sure, than to guess. That way you can control your use in a better way and still have a good time!!

Answer 2

The post a few before these was the most detailed description of THC, the pharmacology behind it, and how the body metabloizes it that I've seen on here.

A lot of these answers seem to be based on rumor, and with a little research they turn out to be completely false. It's good to see some quality work.

I'd like to add some strategy. You've got a great answer for what happens and why, so here's what I can document as a good strategy as to what to do now, if game day is approaching:

Things not to do:
1. Don't panic.
2. Don't listen to the idiots on here you tell you to "just say no" and "pot is evil" and BS like that.
It's weed, folks. Booze and cigarettes do far more damage to your body, and people don't ask questions like this to get a moral lecture from some redneck who will drink themselves silly and smoke a pack a day, but want to put you in jail for smoking a joint.
3. Don't believe all of the stoners on here who heard of some friend of a friend who drank a gallon of vinegar or ate 159 cranberry juice pills or spent $75 to buy tea off the internet. Most of that stuff is also BS and just doesn't work.

Things to do:
Listen to experts on the matter who have actually researched the problem and can give good advice. Check out NORML, and this paper that outlines some good ideas and advice:

http://www.norml.org/pdf_files/norml_dru...

What they say, in a nutshell:
1. Don't give a test sample with your first pee in the morning. Drug metabolites build up overnight, and you want them as diluted as possible.
2. Drink as many fluids as possible for 2-3 hours before the test. Water is best. The water will dilute your pee and might drive the concentration of drug metabolites down below the testing threshold.
3. Take B vitamins in that time period. Only take the recommended daily amount that is on the back of the bottle - you don't need more than that to do the trick. The B vitamins will cause your pee to still look yellow instead of looking clear. Clear urine can make a tester suspicious that you're trying to dilute your pee, which, of course, you are.
4. Although it's no fun, the best advice is to go without, like you have been. But there is an easy way to check ahead of time for peace of mind: Most corner drugstores are now selling urine tests - no prescription or anything needed. So, you can buy a "practice" test for about $15 from the corner drug store, or online. Then you can be sure.

Also, the website www.passyourtest.com has a lot of good research in regard to how long different drugs are detectable in your system, what the different types of drug tests are and how effective they are, etc. They also have a bunch of products they will try to sell you to clean you out, but I don't put much stock in those, and they're pretty expensive. But the website is worth a look just for the info.

Best of luck.

Answer 3

If you have little body fat 3 to 4 weeks. If you are waiting that long to try for a job, maybe a different job would be better for you.

change your username.

It wouldn't be good if your boss came in behind you and asked what the hell angeldust means.

Though you should be good for the test, number one you should give up pot for good anyway. The second is with the current anti-worker pro-business political climate, you new employer will probably insist that you take random drug tests.

Answer 4

marijuana stores in your fat cells which is a major factor in how long it resides in your system and it depend on how long its been since you've smoke it. usually for a every day smoker is up to 45 days whereas a weekend smoker is like a week. either way i suggest quick tabs they work

Answer 5

30 days. However, since you were a heavy smoker you most likely have a build up in your fat cells that will be detected by a urine test.

Answer 6

It is going to be close. If you were a heavy smoker it could stay in the system for months. I would drink as much water as possible.

Answer 7

Drink a lot of water- LIKE A GALLON. It flushes your system naturally. The norm is 30 days, but I've seen that fail before.

Answer 8

30 days it the bar line...
so drink plenty of liquids..............

more water more tissue get flushed..

you should be fine.

and THINK--if you can go from 3 DEC till now--
you can stop...

Answer 9

You are probably clear as long as you haven't had any in 30 days. Good luck.