How Long Does CBD Stay In Your System?

CBD-infused products have recently gained popularity due to their potential health benefits. Predictions suggest that the U.S. CBD market will hit a record-high $24 billion in revenue by 2024.

This gives rise to many valid concerns about CBD, such as understanding the differences between CBD and marijuana, the side effects of CBD, and whether CBD can cause consumers to fail a drug test. One such concern is the interaction of CBD products with the human body. 

How long are CBD effects sustained in our system, or what is their influence on drug screenings? Let us answer these questions with existing CBD studies as our evidence. 

 

What Is CBD?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a psychoactive compound that has recently gained popularity for its health benefits, such as pain relief, inflammatory therapy, and nerve-soothing effects.  

Some CBD products contain traces of THC, a chemical responsible for the euphoric and psychoactive effects of cannabis plants. While the concentration might be relatively low, it concerns the exact mechanisms of certain hemp-derived CBD products.

 

How Does CBD Work?

Understanding the endocannabinoid system (ECS) can help you better understand how CBD works. 

The human body, like most animals, has an extensive network of enzymes, endocannabinoids, and receptors. This is called the endocannabinoid system. 

• Enzymes: Enzymes such as fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol acid lipase break down the endocannabinoids once they complete their function.
• Endocannabinoids: The body produces endocannabinoids such as anandamide, which are essential for regulating homeostasis and other internal functions of the body. 
• Receptors: The endocannabinoids bind to these receptors, producing a signal for the ECS to work. The location of the receptor and the endocannabinoid it binds to determine the effect of this signal. 

The ECS is responsible for identifying, moderating, and maintaining various bodily functions, including pain, immunity, emotion, and sleep.

Experts believe that by preventing the breakdown of our endocannabinoids, CBD enables our systems to utilize more of the substances they are already naturally making. This increases the efficiency of the body’s endocannabinoids.

Factors To Consider

It is important to understand that CBD in the system is a fat-soluble compound. Therefore, it stores itself in the body’s fat cells and depends upon the metabolic system for sustainability.

Users with higher body mass index (BMI) will experience prolonged exposure as the CBD takes longer to leave the system.

Apart from that, other factors also influence how long CBD sustains in your body. 

Some of the most common factors include:

• • Frequency of CBD consumption: As previously stated, CBD is a fat-soluble compound. Frequent consumption can result in CBD being stored in the body’s fat cells, staying in the body for long periods. 

• CBD dosage: Higher CBD dosage is detectable in the body over an extended period. 

• Form of CBD product: Sublingual products like CBD oils usually break down faster than oral ones. Likewise, CBD consumed by inhaling is detectable for shorter periods. 

• Liver conditions: Since CBD breaks down in the liver, any liver disease can increase the time required to break down CBD, increasing the time that CBD lasts in the body.

• Food: Consuming CBD on an empty stomach speeds up digestion while taking CBD with/after food will cause it to stay in the body for longer. 

• Activity level: Higher activity levels speed up the body’s metabolism. This increases the rate of CBD breakdown; thus, CBD is cleared from the body more quickly.

A study, for instance, recorded CBD half-lives for different concentrations and found varying results. Where oral ingestion only lasted 1-10 hours, smoking CBD left effects till the 31st hour. 

In another case study, CBD plasma levels in patients with Huntington’s disease appeared up until a week. Thus, it recorded an estimated 2-5 days for the elimination of CBD half-life from the system, regardless of gender or CBD product. 

Therefore, based on existing CBD studies, let us categorize this analysis into different CBD products for more precise figures.

 

How Long Does CBD Last?

CBD can be taken in various forms, such as gummies, oils, and topical products. CBD stays in the human body for a variable time, depending on the form of consumption. 

Some of the most common forms of CBD consumption include:

Supplements

If you’re taking CBD capsules or some form of CBD edibles, such as CBD gummies, it will take a while for the effects to kick in. The dietary supplement will have to pass through the digestive system and metabolism, taking up to 30 minutes to an hour. Furthermore, CBD supplements can stay in your system for at least 4-7 hours.

Sublingual consumption

Sublingual consumption methods, such as CBD oils, also sustain CBD in the body for around 4-8 hours, depending on the strength of the CBD dose. 

Inhaled consumption

CBD vapes are another common method of CBD consumption. However, the effects of inhaled CBD are short-lived and only last an hour or two. However, vaped CBD can stay in your body for about 4-6 hours.

Topical application

Existing studies found that topical application of transdermal CBD patches can bypass the digestive system and ensure a steady supply of cannabidiol for 5 hours and more. However, most other CBD topical products do not enter the bloodstream and stay out of your system altogether.

 

How Long Does CBD Take to Leave Your System?

Drugs like CBD usually require 5.5 half-lives to leave the human body altogether. This means that orally ingested CBD will take approximately 11 to 28 days to be eliminated from the human body. 

The half-life of CBD consumed through inhaling or smoking is much shorter than when ingesting CBD. It might take just a few hours for inhaled CBD to be removed from the body.

Other factors mentioned previously, such as frequency, dosage, metabolism, and activity level, also affect the time CBD takes to be eliminated from the human body. 

Can CBD Cause You To Fail A Drug Test?

It is incorrect to assume that because the body no longer feels the effects of CBD, it no longer contains it. The half-life of CBD, especially if taken orally, is at least 1 or 2 days. Thus, there are chances that it may appear on your drug tests even much later. 

Most drug tests do not directly look for CBD but try to detect THC levels in the body. THC is responsible for the euphoric effect, and legalized CBD contains only trace amounts of this substance. 

Therefore, detection is rare but not impossible, given the different variations of CBD products and modes of testing. Thus, we can infer that the drug screen test will not result in a positive test if THC-free products, such as hemp-derived broad-spectrum CBD or CBD isolate, are used.

 

Different Types of Drug Tests Can Make a Difference

The levels of THC in CBD products and the kind of drug test you undergo will primarily determine whether you can pass a CBD drug test.

CBD tests such as urine tests are more common and give more precise results than hair drug tests or saliva tests. 

Urine Test

Urine drug testing is the most common method to detect CBD in the human body. According to reports, THC metabolites show up in urine tests up to 15 days after consumption. 

The precise figure depends on the CBD dosage consumed and the number of days passed between the consumption and drug test.

Hair Drug Test

On the contrary, a hair drug test provides extended periods of drug exposure. A 2017 study reports that the detection window for cannabinoids in hair testing can last up to several months. 

Saliva Test

While testing saliva glands for THC is incredibly rare, they may report THC that stays in your system for 10-12 hours after consumption. 

Blood Test

Lastly, drug tests using blood may also provide THC levels in the bloodstream. However, they do not provide accurate figures for more extended periods. The detection window is 0-22 hours, with high detection rates only in the first 2 hours.

 

In Conclusion

The many factors involved make it difficult to ascertain how CBD interacts and stays in your system. Regardless, one could say that detectable CBD levels are present for up to a few days in most cases.

If you’re undergoing any drug monitoring tests, focus and adapt your consumption cycle accordingly, and only consume THC-free CBD products. But if you want to be even safer, avoid any CBD products until you take your test.

Lastly, make sure you buy CBD online from reliable sources so you get pure and effective products. 

 

References

Dorbian, Iris. “CBD Market Could Reach $20 Billion By 2024, Says New Study”. Forbes, 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/irisdorbian/2019/05/20/cbd-market-could-reach-20-billion-by-2024-says-new-study/?sh=6e6e584e49d0

“Cannabis (Marijuana) And Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know.” National Center For Complementary And Integrative Health, 2019, https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/cannabis-marijuana-and-cannabinoids-what-you-need-to-know

“CANNABIDIOL (CBD): Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing And Reviews.” Webmd.Com, 2020, https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1439/cannabidiol-cbd

Bradford, Alina.“What is THC?” Live Science, 18 May 2017 https://www.livescience.com/24553-what-is-thc.html

BioLyfe Supplements. (2022). Buy CBD Oil Tinctures Online. Available at: https://biolyfebrands.com/product/cbd-oil-tinctures/

Grinspoon, Peter. “The Endocannabinoid System: Essential And Mysterious – Harvard Health.” Harvard Health, 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-endocannabinoid-system-essential-and-mysterious-202108112569

“Endocannabinoid System: A Simple Guide To How It Works”. Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/health/endocannabinoid-system#cbd

Booth, Jessica. “How Long Does CBD Stay In Your System?”. Forbes Health, 2022, https://www.forbes.com/health/body/how-long-does-cbd-stay-in-your-system/

Kenyon, Zara. “How Long Does CBD Stay In Your System? | Cannaray CBD”. Cannaray, 2022, https://cannaraycbd.com/journal/article/how-long-does-cbd-stay-in-system/

Millar SA, Stone NL, Yates AS, O’Sullivan SE. A Systematic Review on the Pharmacokinetics of Cannabidiol in Humans. Front Pharmacol. 2018 Nov 26;9:1365. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01365. PMID: 30534073; PMCID: PMC6275223

Consroe P, Kennedy K, Schram K. Assay of plasma cannabidiol by capillary gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectroscopy following high-dose repeated daily oral administration in humans. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1991 Nov;40(3):517-22. DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(91)90357-8. PMID: 1666917

Welty TE, Luebke A, Gidal BE. Cannabidiol: promise and pitfalls. Epilepsy Curr. 2014 Sep;14(5):250-2. DOI: 10.5698/1535-7597-14.5.250. PMID: 25346628; PMCID: PMC4189631

Moeller KE, Kissack JC, Atayee RS, Lee KC. Clinical Interpretation of Urine Drug Tests: What Clinicians Need to Know About Urine Drug Screens. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017 May;92(5):774-796. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.12.007. Epub 2017 Mar 18. PMID: 28325505

Taylor M, Lees R, Henderson G, Lingford-Hughes A, Macleod J, Sullivan J, Hickman M. Comparison of cannabinoids in hair with self-reported cannabis consumption in heavy, light and non-cannabis users. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2017 Mar;36(2):220-226. DOI: 10.1111/dar.12412. Epub 2016 Jun 14. PMID: 27296783; PMCID: PMC5396143

Drummer OH. Drug testing in oral fluid. Clin Biochem Rev. 2006 Aug;27(3):147-59. PMID: 17268583; PMCID: PMC1579288

Vandrey R, Herrmann ES, Mitchell JM, Bigelow GE, Flegel R, LoDico C, Cone EJ. Pharmacokinetic Profile of Oral Cannabis in Humans: Blood and Oral Fluid Disposition and Relation to Pharmacodynamic Outcomes. J Anal Toxicol. 2017 Mar 1;41(2):83-99. DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkx012. PMID: 28158482; PMCID: PMC5890870