Whether you just got a new job and want to pass a drug test, are suffering from weed withdrawal symptoms and want to take a step back, or simply want to take a healthy tolerance break to get your levels back to a more acceptable range, there are several reasons to want to conduct a THC detox.
Whatever your particular situation is, taking a break and detoxing from THC can be beneficial for your overall health and enjoyment of cannabis.
Detoxing is an effective way to ensure that your relationship with marijuana remains healthy and responsible.
However, there is no one way to detox, but some methods shine brighter than others when developing an effective strategy that users can adhere to for effective results.
Today, we’ll be breaking down what a marijuana detox is, how long THC stays in your system, and how to ensure that your detox process is as smooth as possible!
What is a THC Detox?
Detoxing in some way, shape, or form has been a popular trend for years. Whether you’re promoting gastrointestinal health, doing a cleanse or, in this instance, wanting to cut down on how frequently you use marijuana.
Essentially, detoxing is the process of removing toxins and other substances from your body. That said, it’s important to clarify that ‘toxin’ doesn’t necessarily mean something inherently harmful or fatal.
Instead, it’s a blanket term that refers to anything you don’t want to have present in your body, which can range from alcohol to contaminants and, in this case, THC.
During the process, your liver bears most of the load and responsibility. One of its primary functions is to metabolize substances while also neutralizing and eliminating other contaminants that hide in your body’s fat cells and blood.
There are several methods for improving the detox process to remove THC from your system a little bit quicker. First, we’ll need to understand how long THC actually remains in your body and what affects this duration.
How Long Does THC Stay in Your System?
There is no one right way to find out how long THC stays in your system. It depends on how you introduced the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)into your system in the first place.
In other words, it depends on how you ingested the cannabis.
If you’re looking to feel the effects as quickly as possible, smoking or vaping would be the most efficient. You’ll typically start to feel them take effect in just a few minutes, and the high can last between one to three hours.
However, some external factors could impact this length of time, including the user’s particular THC tolerance level, how potent the cannabis is, the person’s individual metabolism and how much cannabis they’ve consumed and whether they ate something prior to using marijuana.
If you ingested a cannabis-infused edible instead of smoking or vaping, it could take anywhere from fifteen minutes to up to two hours to start feeling the effects. That said, once they do set in, edibles can last up to a day, and residual effects may even linger for as long as 48 hours.
However, keep in mind, just as with smoking or vaping, the previously mentioned independent factors will also determine the longevity of the effects.
Additionally, it’s crucial to mention that just because users are no longer feeling the effects of THC doesn’t mean that it is out of their system. This misconception causes many people to fail drug testing after days or even weeks of initially ingesting marijuana.
To understand why this occurs, we need to delve deeper into the biological processes that take place once THC enters the body and the manner in which it eventually exits.
What Happens to THC Inside the Body?
When users smoke marijuana, the lungs immediately absorb it. After that, it’s only a matter of minutes until its components enter the bloodstream. If they were to ingest edibles, this process would take longer. However, it too eventually enters the bloodstream.
Over time, the THC binds to blood proteins which then transport it around to various other parts of the body.
From there, it is further absorbed by bodily tissues, including the heart, spleen, fat, and brain. Either that, or it’s metabolized into water-soluble metabolites and filtered out through urine.
Whatever remaining THC that isn’t metabolized is subsequently removed from the body through urination. For users that consume marijuana more frequently, the THC-COOH, or THC metabolites, accumulate faster in their fatty tissues than can be released, as is not water-soluble.
Because of this, THC may be detected in the body for a longer period of time after initial consumption than one might think.
How Long is THC Detectable?
In the context of wanting to pass a drug test, the duration where THC is detectable will vary based on the individual, their metabolic rate, how frequently they consume cannabis, as well as the type of drug tests being administered.
There are estimates regarding the duration of how long THC stays in your system based on the specific type of drug tests being used.
- Saliva Test – Saliva tests are most commonly utilized to detect recent cannabis use, typically within a couple of days.
- Urine Test – A urine drug test can be used to detect a wide range of substances potentially present in the body. In the context of testing for THC, specifically, a urine sample can detect it for up to a week in occasional to moderate users and upwards of a month or more for frequent users.
- Blood Test – As we said, THC metabolites are absorbed through the bloodstream. As such, a blood test will only detect its presence in the body for up to 36 hours. However, it could be as little as 4 hours for light users.
- Hair Test – Hair drug tests are by far the most in-depth and provide the most extensive information regarding substance use. They can detect THC in the body for up to 90 days after ingestion. They work by using the oil transferred to hair strands as its sample, making hair tests incredibly sensitive. That said, it’s worth mentioning that there have been cases of false positives where the oils transfer from one individual to another, perhaps through intimate acts or sharing a hair comb or brush.
How to Perform a THC Detox
As stated previously, the load-bearing responsibility for conducting a marijuana detox falls on the liver. However, according to anecdotal evidence, there are methods and things you can do to expedite the process of removing THC from your system.
That said, the scientific research and evidence to substantiate these claims are minimal. However, they are healthy habits that can promote other body-related benefits, so there’s no real downside to trying them out.
Detox Kits & Detox Drinks
While the evidence is mostly anecdotal, many users swear by using detox drinks, such as lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and cranberry juice to help expedite the detox process.
While it’s believed that detox drinks help flush your system out, including any THC, and cleanse your body from the inside out, what happens instead is that these drinks fill our body with other compounds and potentially mask the THC in a test.
However, this is only a temporary solution.
Additionally, these products will not completely remove the THC from your system.
For situations where users are really in a pinch, many sing the praises of detox kits to help you pass a drug test.
These same-day cleansing products supposedly work by targeting the urinary tract and eliminating, or serving to flush out, any THC metabolites that could appear on a drug screen.
That said, these are also only a temporary fix.
Exercise
It is a common belief amongst active individuals that regular and frequent exercise can help the body eliminate toxins through sweat.
That said, the skin serves to protect your body by keeping toxins out and doesn’t release them through sweat. Additionally, exercise may do more harm than good as it could cause the THC stored in your body to enter the bloodstream and cause a spike.
That said, exercise is an integral aspect of any healthy lifestyle and can contribute to weight loss, improved mental health and help with energy levels. THC is also stored in fat, so regular exercise will help your body metabolize and burn energy faster, resulting in more THC being released from fat tissue.
Not only that but, for users looking to take a tolerance break or anyone experiencing withdrawal symptoms, exercise can help them take their mind off things and channel any anxious or nervous energy into something productive.
Wait & Abstain
Ultimately, the best way to remove THC from your system is to let it exit naturally, which it will do eventually.
This practice is also the most effective method for performing a successful tolerance break and setting your tolerance levels back to a more reasonable and manageable range. Abstaining from cannabis use and waiting it out while still following an active and healthy lifestyle will take roughly three to four weeks for the THC to exit your system.
In this way, the most effective method for removing THC from your system is actually to do nothing at all. Get some sleep, eat healthy, stay active and hydrated with water, and your body will do the rest.
THC Detox – A Waiting Game
At the end of the day, the safest and most effective way to remove THC from your body is to wait it out. While other same-day solutions such as detox drinks or kits may seem tempting, they aren’t 100% and are ultimately only temporary fixes.
That said, naturally, this process could take upwards of a few weeks to happen. It may also cause more frequent users to experience uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal. Still, detoxing from weed is entirely possible without any outside intervention or products if users remain dedicated, committed and, most importantly, patient.
Taking tolerance breaks is a worthwhile, responsible practice for maintaining a healthy relationship with cannabis.
Happy healing and good luck!
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