This Is How Long CBD Stays In Your System
Whether you're getting a drug test or you're researching CBD for your own health, you may want to know how long it stays in your system. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is an active ingredient in cannabis that has been separated and isolated into a legal substance all its own (via WebMD). Like cannabis, CBD is thought to help treat anxiety, chronic pain, and insomnia. Unlike cannabis, however, CBD cannot get you "high." This is because it does not contain THC, according to Mayo Clinic. While THC can be detected up to 90 days after you take it, per Medical News Today, how long CBD stays in one's system remains a bit more of a mystery.
CBD tinctures placed under the tongue get into the bloodstream quickly, as does vaping — although vaping is not advised. CBD also leaves the body faster when ingested through a tincture (via Healthline). Digested CBD may take longer to kick in, and it takes longer to leave your system, as do CBD creams. But everyone's body is different, and everyone's biochemistry determines how fast CBD leaves the body.
Factors at play
One of the most crucial features that defines how long CBD stays in your system is your body composition, such as your body mass index or your metabolism. Those with lower BMIs can take less of a substance and feel more effects, and those with higher BMIs often need doses adjusted to correlate with body weight, according to a paper in the Australian Prescriber. However, contrary to popular belief, if you're heavier, you might have a faster metabolism than someone with a lower BMI, resulting in the expulsion of CBD from your system at a faster rate (via CNN).
How often you use CBD also determines how long it stays in your system. The more you use it, the longer it builds up in your bloodstream, and the longer it takes to metabolize or excrete. In a meta-analysis of 792 articles, CBD was found to stay in one's system for an average of one to eleven hours if taken via a nasal spray, 24 hours after taken intravenously, 31 hours after smoking, and two to five days after ingesting it or taking it orally.
Drug testing
If you're concerned about having CBD in your system during a drug test, there's good news: drug tests don't include CBD in their panel — only THC, the other active chemical compound in marijuana. However, a report in Missouri Medicine noted, "The federal Department of Transportation has issued a warning that CBD use can show up as a positive THC result on a drug test."
A research letter published in JAMA explained that CBD products can contain trace levels of THC due to "inadequate regulation and oversight." Federally, CBD products that contain less than 0.3% THC are legal in the United States (via FDA). You should, however, take note of your employer's policies. And as Medical News Today advised, "People who want to avoid testing positive for THC on a drug test should purchase CBD products from reliable sources that can confirm the product does not contain any THC."