When it comes to detecting weed in your system, drug tests primarily look for a chemical compound called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and its metabolites. These metabolites can remain in your body long after the effects of weed have subsided. The length of time weed is detectable depends on several factors, including the amount you consume and the type of drug test used.
How Long Does One Hit of Weed Stay in Your System
It's important to note that weed metabolites are fat-soluble, meaning they bind to fat molecules in your body. This can prolong the detection window, particularly for individuals with higher amounts of body fat.
How Long Does One Hit of Weed Stay in Your System
How Long Does One Hit of Weed Stay in Your System
Metabolism and Excretion of THC
When you smoke or ingest cannabis, THC is absorbed into your bloodstream. Some of it is temporarily stored in organs and fatty tissues. The breakdown of THC primarily occurs in the liver, resulting in the formation of various metabolites, including 11-OH-THC and THCCOOH. These metabolites, rather than THC itself, are the focus of drug tests.
The excretion of THC and its metabolites mainly occurs through urine and stool. The time it takes for these substances to leave your system depends on factors such as the frequency of cannabis use. Frequent use leads to higher baseline concentrations of THC metabolites, prolonging the excretion process. However, there is no surefire way to speed up the elimination of THC metabolites from your body. Exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and staying hydrated may have minimal impact on the process.
Several factors can influence how long weed stays in your system and remains detectable:
While these factors play a role, it's important to remember that detection times can still vary significantly among individuals. Each person's body processes and eliminates substances differently, leading to variations in the duration of weed's presence in the system.
You’ve probably noticed that two people smoking the same joint might have very different results. For example, one friend might immediately head to the couch for a nap, another might suddenly erupt with boundless energy, and yet a third may be raiding your fridge in an attempt to quell the insatiable appetite known as “munchies.”
In addition to the varying effects of getting high, our bodies detox at different paces. There are several factors influencing detection time that can help you develop the best plan to pass a drug test.
It’s simple logic that smoking an entire joint to oneself will result in more THC in your system than taking only one hit. However, the product's potency determines not just how high you’ll get, but how long the THC metabolites will remain in your system. Most cannabis flower contain between 15-30% THC. That might sound like a lot, but compare it to cannabis extracts in a vape pen. Much of the oil used to fill a vape cartridge contains upwards of 60% THC, sometimes even more than 90%. So, it makes sense that you would get much more stoned and therefore process more THC when smoking a vape pen than smoking raw flower.
The same rule applies to edibles, which are typically infused with cannabis extract—the more potent the product, the more THC in your system. In theory, you could likely detox faster from smoking an entire joint than you might from taking two or three hits off of a highly potent vape pen. That said, one hit of weed contains a minimal amount of THC.
Sure, if you smoke weed every day, you’re probably going to fail any drug test. But what if you just smoked a little bit? Will that one hit of weed be detectable in your system? There’s a chance you could fail depending on the drug test.
Urine: THC is detectable in urine for up to 30 days. However, this applies to regular, moderate to heavy users. One hit of weed will probably only show up on urinalysis for a few days.
Blood: Blood tests can detect weed for a few hours up to one day. After a hit of weed, it is most detectable within the first three hours but quickly leaves the bloodstream.
Saliva: A saliva drug test is the most challenging test to beat with little notice. THC metabolites are detectable in saliva for up to 24 hours after last use, and if tested right after you’ve taken a hit, it will certainly show up.
Hair Follicle: THC and many other drug metabolites linger in hair follicles for as long as 90 days. No amount of scrubbing or combing will remove the metabolites, and you’ll need a special shampoo to help you detox for this test.
Keep in mind that if your weed use consists of just that one hit just that one time, you probably won’t trigger any significant THC alarms. If you are worried about passing a drug test, the best thing you can do is invest in a trusted detox program to help you flush your system quickly. No matter what your timeline or how much THC you’ve consumed, Pass Your Test has the perfect kit to help you detox.
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