Does CBD show on drug tests?
Drug tests are a big concern for many people in the UK. Working in industries such as construction and public transport mean you may be tested often to ensure that you meet the required safety standard. Plus if you drive, swab tests can also be taken on anyone who is suspected of driving under the influence.
This prevents many people from giving cannabidiol a try as people are unsure if CBD will cause you to fail a drug test. This leads to them avoiding it all together, even though CBD is legal in the UK.
Quick Facts
- Drug tests aren’t looking for CBD, so they won’t show a positive result.
- THC will show up on a drug test, so it’s important to choose products with safe and legal levels of THC (>.
- Only CBD isolate contains absolutely no THC, all other products will contain trace amounts.
- THC can build up in your system to reach the threshold that would lead to a positive result.
- There are steps you can take when buying CBD to limit the chances that you fail a drug test.
How long does CBD stay in your system?
CBD should have fully left your system after two weeks but has a half-life of 3 to 5 days. This depends on several factors such your metabolism, how often you use it, how much you use and how you use it. Some studies have shown that how you take CBD can massively impact how long it stays in the system.
Does CBD show on a drug test?
CBD is one of many cannabinoids located in cannabis plants. It isn’t intoxicating, so it can't get you high. Drug tests aren’t designed to look for this compound as it's not a controlled substance. However, most CBD products contain a range of other cannabinoids.
Quite often they contain small traces of THC and CBN which, in larger measures, are illegal. While CBN is a controlled substance, modern drug tests in the UK only screen for THC. If the level of THC reaches a defined threshold you will fail the test. To prevent this, it’s crucial to pick products with low or no THC.
How much THC is in CBD Products?
Any product that contains no THC will not show up on a drug test. But, it is very rare that CBD products are really ‘THC free’ or ‘zero THC’. Even the best extraction methods used on legal hemp strains leave behind small traces of
other cannabinoids. Claims like these can be unhelpful and misleading. What they mean is that they contain very low levels of THC usually below the legal limit of <0.2%.
The only way to be certain of what the products THC content is to look at the third-party lab tests. These are the results of the analysis taken in labs who are not connected to the company. They will give you accurate details of precisely what is contained in the CBD product.
What is the threshold of THC on UK drug tests?
Workplace urine test – These look for levels of THC-COOH which is a substance created when THC passes through your liver. The recommended cut-off for detecting THC in urine is 50ng/mL. A nanogram is a tiny amount, equal to 1 billionth of a gram.
Workplace saliva test – These have a much lower threshold and are usually used when testing for recent drug use. The European Workplace Drug Testing Society guidelines recommend a cut-off of 10ng/mL.
Roadside ‘drugalyser’ tests – These are swabs taken when a police officer suspects that you have been driving under the influence of drugs. The lowest amount to fail the test is 2ng/ml.
Hair follicle tests – Drug metabolites will show up in your hair strands, which allows for long-term drug testing. A sample of hair is taken and analysed in a lab for the presence of drug metabolites. This type of testing can typically detect drug use in the last 90 days.
Blood test – This method looks for the presence of drug metabolites in the blood. It is typically only effective for detecting drug use in the last 4 hours. The UK legal limit for THC in the blood is 2 micrograms per litre of blood (2ug).
What are the correct actions to take to pass a UK drug test?
- Only buy CBD product from a reliable, well-reviewed retailer who clearly displays the lab certificates for each batch.
- Check the lab certificate to find out how much THC was detected. The legal limit is 1mg per container.
- Choose a product that only contains traces of THC or when the amount is too small to register (BQL).
- Spread out the times that you take the product to prevent the THC from building up in your system.
- If you think that you may be due to a drug test, consider reducing the amount you use before the test
Source: https://www.fortheageless.com/blogs/cbd-oil-uk-blog/cbd-oil-drug-test