If you are interviewing for a position that requires drug testing, then it is good to know how long weed can stay in your system so you can prepare for it.
Knowing how long cannabis can show up on a drug test is important if you are applying for positions that administer drug tests. Doing research on heavy cannabis smokers helps us figure out how long it can be detected throughout urine samples. Is 21 days enough to pass a drug test?
One of your pals has appeared at the big-box home improvement store for his shift. He swipes his clock in card to mark the start of his shift and the store manager gives him a cup that contains the Quest Diagnostics symbol on it. “Holy crap!”, he thinks to himself. He then takes a frightening walk that seems like it is taking him ages to get to the men’s room. In his head, he is trying to quickly do some math. He didn’t smoke any cannabis at all last weekend, but he did take a hit at a friend’s bonfire the Friday before last. Additionally, he got pretty baked on one occasion last month while watching Rick and Morty. Will those tokes that he took me out of his body yet? As he is in the men’s room, he is highly contemplating asking the stranger in the stall next to him to fill the cup for him in exchange for a twenty-dollar bill. What is the duration of time that it takes for marijuana to leave no traces in the body? Is there a more laid-back place that’s hiring? Maybe Game Stop?
How Does The Body Process Cannabis?
The body will rid the particles of any cannabinoid remains by means of the body’s metabolism. Because everyone has a different metabolic rate, the speed at which this occurs will vary from one person to the next. Joseph Rosado, who is a medical consultant for International Cannabis Solutions, says that everyone has their own unique metabolism which metabolizes weed at very different rates.
Even if you take two people that are the same age, gender, and have exactly the same lifestyles, diets, and activity levels, the total amount of time can still be different. Traces of weed sometimes hide in fat cells, and this is another factor to take into consideration. This means that people with higher fat levels will be able to hold more cannabinoids in their bodies than people who are leaner.
If your buddy hasn’t smoked any weed within the past month, there is a good chance that he will pass a urinalysis test. When conducting experiments to help drug courts and parole officers in 2005, Paul L. Cary, head of the University of Missouri’s Toxicology and Drug Testing Laboratory, made a discovery and revealed that marijuana detection can still happen after the 30-day mark, but it is known to be fairly rare. The amount that someone consumes cannabis is another important factor to take into consideration. Cary reported that for just three or four days, most casual users of cannabis, or first-time consumers, maintain detectable traces. Those people who consume cannabis a couple of times per week will have to avoid using it for at least 21 days in order to get to the point where they will pass a drug test.
A study that was conducted in 1999 by researchers from Harvard University and McLean Hospital wanted to find out how long marijuana stayed in Willie Nelson’s body or people who have consumed cannabis over 5,000 times in their whole lives. 17 of these subjects agreed to stay away from weed for 28 days, in what must have been a monumental display of discipline. In the first week, five had attained non-detectable levels. Four more subjects had clean pee by the time the second week rolled around. After the third week, two more people were able to pass drug tests. In the fourth week, six people had detectable levels of cannabinoids in their bodies. This study revealed that individuals that consume the same amounts of cannabis will metabolize it at very different rates. But it goes to show that heavy cannabis users will still have clean urine after about a month of abstinence from it.
Can My Employer Legally Drug Test me?
It’s important to mention that the whole methodology of urinating into a jar in order to stay employed with a company is a controversial practice that still remains as a result of the war on drugs from the 1980s. It hasn’t really proved to be useful for anyone except the urine analyzers that are working in the labs.
President Ronald Reagan signed off on an executive order in 1986 which mandated testing of federal employees and some contractors. Several companies jumped on the bandwagon after that, and testing soon became the gold-standard condition of employment for many sectors where potentially hazardous machinery was regularly and routinely used. 1996 was the year that drug testing reached its max and 81% of employers tested employees for drug use. Every year following that, the numbers began to slowly decrease, and in 2004, the numbers were down to 62%.
There is virtually no evidence that forcing workers or prospective employees afraid to consume a weekend joint would result in a healthier or more efficient workforce. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration stated that drug testing throughout the workplace was put in place in an effort to put a halt on drug abuse and how it can negatively affect work productivity, health, and overall safety throughout the nation’s workforce. There is insufficient evidence to this day about the efficacy of this deterrent effect.