Tag Archives: Marijuana

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How Long Does Weed Stay In Your System?

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By: Sera Jane Ghaly


The amount of time that weed stays in your system depends on the user and how frequently they smoke. There are other factors involved, too, such as how it is being tested. THC binds the longest to the hair follicle and to saliva for the least amount of time. 

THC has a cumulative effect in the body and includes other factors such as the metabolic rate. However, as a general rule of thumb, this is how long cannabis stays in the system.

THC in urine. 

Photo credit: Smoking Pagoda
The most common way to test for THC is in the urine because it is the cheapest method and has a long detection period. However, the length of time will vary depending on the frequency of use because of the cumulative effect of THC. 

  • Someone who has smoked for the first time can test positive for THC for up to 8 days in urine.
  • Someone who smokes frequently can test positive for THC for up to 15 days in urine.
  • Someone who smokes heavily can test positive for THC for up to 30 days in urine.
  • Some heavy marijuana smokers have been tested positive for up to 45-90 days in urine after stopping smoking cannabis.

As a guide, if you´re a heavy smoker, chances are THC will remain in your urine for up to a month after stopping. This is also the most likely way you’ll be tested for weed in your system.

THC in saliva.

THC lasts the shortest time in the saliva. This is the method most often used by road police in checking for drugged drivers. It starts to test positive about 1 hour after smoking and can remain positive in saliva for up to 12 hours.

THC in hair. 


In the case of hair follicles, THC binds for the longest period of time. A single use of cannabis can test positive in the hair for up to 7 days, and most hair follicle tests are for a 90 day period. However, it is not always certain that cannabis actually binds to the hair follicle, so this method is hardly ever used.

THC in blood. 


THC is hardly ever measured from the blood because the metabolite of THC doesn´t bind to the blood for very long. As a result, testing cannabis in the blood only detects recent use. 

How to pass a urine test


Unfortunately, there´s no certain way to pass a urine test if you´re a heavy smoker. There are products that can be purchased solely for the purpose of cleansing urine, but their reliability is questionable. 

The most scientific way to pass a urine test is to drink a lot of cranberry juice or a lot of fluids. Adding more water to the system will naturally dilute whatever is in your urine. 

But the surest way to pass a urine test is to stick safely and generously to the time guidelines! 

How long other chemicals stay in the system

While on the topic, it´s interesting to note how long other chemicals remain in the system after use. 

  • Heroin can be detected in blood and saliva for up to 12 hours, and in urine for up to three days.
  • Amphetamines can be detected in blood and saliva for 12 hours after use and in the urine for 1-2 days after use.
  • A standard drink of alcohol can be detected in the body for only about 5 hours after use (the more that is consumed, the longer the it takes to metabolize, but is the shortest detection time of them all).

Conclusion

So many employers these days are testing their employees for drugs. However, it is easier to get away with having a problem with amphetamines than it is to be a cannabis smoker. Given the technology that is available, shouldn’t there be some leniency towards frequency of use with cannabis? It is legal now, after all. In fact, after legalization, the risk to the workforce if drug testing is not altered is extreme. It could result in a giant loss for the workforce in the USA.

Cannabis stays in the system longer than almost all other chemicals in the body because of it´s cumulative effect. However, everyone knows that you´re not necessarily high 12 hours after use. The best advice to smokers out there afraid of the ever prevalent urine test, stick to jobs that don´t require it!
Original article can be found here

Misc Other

End The Unfounded Paranoia Around Minors Scoring Marijuana

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By: Dana Larsen Director, Sensible BC Campaign For Marijuana Reform, Vancouver’s Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary. 

I bet most people reading this are aware of the controversy around kids buying pot at 4/20 — events related to the annual day of advocacy for the legalization of marijuana — but don’t think twice about the minors buying booze every single day in liquor stores, nightclubs, restaurants and pubs all across the country. 

Yes, it’s true that some minors do manage to score some bud at 4/20 celebrations, rallies and other gatherings. Despite our best efforts, a determined minor can usually acquire cannabis or alcohol if they set their mind to it.

A man smokes marijuana in a pipe as thousands of people gathered at 4/20 celebrations on April 20, 2016 at Sunset Beach in Vancouver, B.C. (Photo: Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) 

But the way the media and government treats the idea of minors and cannabis or minors and alcohol is very different. When a dispensary is alleged to have sold some cannabis to a minor, they face a police raid and harsh commentary in the media. But the daily sales to minors from liquor outlets is not treated like a big deal at all. 

There’s political hand-wringing and big headlines about how terrible 4/20 is because some minors attend, while all-ages pubs and beer gardens are now the norm in our province. 

The hypocrisy here runs deep, because while the government is beating us up over teens buying cannabis at 4/20, their own liquor stores are pouring drinks for minors on a regular basis. 

Many parents are well aware that their 16- or 17-year-old kids use cannabis, and allow it because they consider cannabis to be relatively harmless. 

In 2012, it was found that about 30 per cent of all retail liquor outlets would sell booze to a minor. The B.C. Liberal government’s response to this problem was simply to have less inspections! 

With less inspections comes less compliance, so that by 2015, 40 per cent of outlets tested failed to stop sales to minors. But because there were less inspections happening, the total value of fines given out dropped from over $800,000 in 2012 to just $262,500 in 2015. 

To get your “serving it right” license is ridiculously easy. It’s literally an online multiple choice quiz with no time limit that you can do from home. No wonder licensed restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs all had a failure rate of 45 per cent or more when it comes to stopping minors buying alcohol. 

Compared to this utter failure of government-licensed and regulated liquor outlets to keep booze out of the hands of minors, I’d say marijuana advocates like us do a very good job in self-policing 4/20, despite a lack of cooperation from the Park Board.

(Photo: Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) 

We work with all our vendors to ensure they ask for ID and prohibit sales to minors. I expect that minors who get cannabis at 4/20 probably get an older friend or even their parents to buy it for them. Many parents are well aware that their 16- or 17-year-old kids use cannabis, and allow it because they consider cannabis to be relatively harmless, especially in comparison to alcohol and tobacco. 

Also, let’s not forget some minors can be medical cannabis users who smoke or eat cannabis to treat ailments ranging from epilepsy to cancer to attention deficit disorder. These young patients enjoy celebrating 4/20 because they directly experience the healing benefits of the cannabis plant. 

In 2002, Canada’s Senate put out a massive and comprehensive report on cannabis use in Canada. They recommended full legalization for all Canadians over the age of 16. “Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol,” said the report, and the Senators were right. It’s time for the paranoia and exaggerations around teenagers and cannabis to come to an end. 

Original article can be found here