How to get THC out of your system fast and how long it stays in your body is something that many pot lovers ask themselves on various occasions. Whether it’s due to over consumption or a test awaits you, it’s always useful to know how to get THC out of your system fast. So, fear no more, if you’ve got a drug test coming up, here are some simple ways to help you flush THC from your body.
Even though cannabis legalization and acceptance of the plant overall are becoming more and more widespread, unfortunately, society still has some negative connotation when it comes to employing people who smoke. And since workplaces still have an issue with employees smoking, routine or surprise drug tests are conducted to ensure employees aren’t breaking company policy. However, many smokers in this position decide to continue smoking out of recreational preference or medical necessity. In these cases, it is important to be aware of the best ways to remove THC from the system in a short period of time to avoid failing any drug tests.
Note that these techniques are pretty natural and results will vary from person to person, so based on your predispositions, your body may or may not detox as quickly as someone else’s. So, of course, you should know that by continuing smoking you are somehow risking your career and income. So, before we go into the tips on how to get THC out of your system fast, let’s discuss a bit on how cannabinoids are stored in the body in the first place and for how long they stay around if you don’t try to detox them out.
After smoking any type of cannabis, even a CBD-rich strain – hemp – you will get a certain rise in THC in your blood. The molecule is then broken down into a variety of inactive metabolites, such as tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (THC-COOH). Both THC and its metabolites can linger in the body after prolonged use of cannabis, a factor that makes it much more likely to show up on a drug test at work. So, if you want to know how to get THC out of your system fast, first you need to cease all cannabis consumption. This is because THC metabolites have a half-life of 1 week, with detectable levels decreasing by 50% at the end of this time frame. Therefore, the body can be free from traces of these metabolites within 4 weeks if no amount of THC supply is brought on the body once again.
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Another point on how to get THC out of your system fast is that there are a plethora of factors that lead to higher levels of THC metabolite accumulation within the body. Keep these in mind when smoking cannabis if future drug tests are a possibility.
THC and its metabolites can be detected in the body via numerous tests that analyze hair, blood, and urine. Urinalysis is the most common within workplaces, where they analyze your urine for any THC residue. Furthermore, the use of marijuana can be detected in blood samples within 12–24 hours of use, however, it can be detected in urine samples a week or more after use which is why the urine test is preferred.
Good thing is that with these urine tests, irregular weed users who don’t consume much may steer clear of a positive (failing) result after around a week, simply because the test does not detect THC itself, but instead detects levels of THC-COOH. And remember what we said about the levels of THC-COOH? They drop by 50% or more within a week time. However, frequent and heavy users can test positive for much longer periods.
Well, firstly it’s important to note that if your employer likes to spring surprise tests on you every now and then, then the how to get THC out of your system tips are useless because you never really know when to stop smoking and start detoxing. In these instances, it’s not really recommended to smoke at all while employed in that specific position, if you really want to keep your job, that is. However, other companies conduct routine drug tests, so the employees may know the exact date. Also, if you are applying for a job, you’ll also have time to attempt to remove cannabis metabolites from your system in preparation for pre-employment screening. To avoid any illusions of quick fixes and magic bullets, you need to start preparing as long as possible beforehand.
Stop Smoking: I’m not trying to be Captain Obvious here, but it never ceases to amaze me how some people think they can smoke a joint the night before and somehow show up clear on the test the next day. Therefore, this has to be mentioned. If you are aware that you have a drug test coming up, one of the most helpful things you can do is stop smoking straight away, and don’t start again until after the test has been conducted. The aim here is to remove cannabis metabolites from the body as much as possible or to make them as undetectable as possible. The longer you cease smoking beforehand, the more likely you are to pass the test.
Supplement with Zink: Zink is a mineral that acts as a urinary adulterant that can produce false-negative results in urine tests and may interfere with THC detection in urine samples for a 12–18 hour period. So one of the tips on how to get THC out of your system fast is to consider taking this mineral in powder or pill form.
Green Detox: Taking green smoothies is also another good way of how to get THC out of your system fast. Many of them use diuretic substances to make sure you are passing urine frequently. Often times, these products are quite expensive, so you could always research the ingredients and make your own concoction at home like kale smoothies, spinach smoothie with added spirulina or chlorella and of course some sweet fruit for taste.
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