If you use cannabis regularly, there may be times when a cannabis detox is necessary. For example, you may be coming up on a testing at work. Or you may just feel it’s time to give your body a break.
If that’s the case, you probably have many questions like, how long does cannabis detox take? And, is there anything I can do to speed up the process? This article will tell you all you need to know.
How Long Does Cannabis Stay in Your System?
After smoking or consuming marijuana, cannabis metabolites stay in your system. They will typically linger in your body for 30 days after consumption. However, they could be detectable for months in the body’s fat cells. The amount of time they hang around will vary depending on several factors including:
- How much THC you consume regularly
- How much body fat you have
- Your metabolism rate
- Your eating and exercise habits
Cannabinoids can be detected in your saliva, fingernails, hair, blood, and urine. The detection window will vary depending on the type of test being performed. For example:
- Urine Test: Cannabinoid metabolites will stay in urine for up to four weeks.
- Blood Test: THC can remain detectable in the blood for up to seven days.
- Fat Cells: Marijuana can remain in fat cells for as little as 10 days or as long as 90 days depending on how much you consume. It can be detected via hair follicle and urine testing.
There are products you can use and activities you can do that are said to speed up the cannabis detox products, but there are no guarantees.
What Do Drug Tests Look For?
Drug tests look for the presence of cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites. In most cases, urine will be tested because it’s easy to collect. THC will also remain detectable in urine for longer periods of time.
The test will mainly look for a metabolite called THC-COOH which is stored in body fat.
Note that CBD and THC are not the same. So, if you use CBD, you shouldn’t have to be concerned about testing positive on a drug test.
However, many CBD products contain trace amounts of THC which can yield a positive result. To prevent this from happening, use CBD isolates only and buy your products from a trusted retailer.
How to Do a Cannabis Detox
Cannabis detox involves abstaining from weed. You can go cold turkey, or you can cut back gradually. Here are some other activities that may assist the process.
- Exercise: Exercising can help because it will reduce the fat cells in your body in which cannabis is stored. It will also increase metabolism, so your body metabolizes the cannabis at a faster rate.
- Drink Water: Water will assist in the cleansing process. However, you don’t need to drink excessive amounts of water. Doing so will not speed up the process.
- Eat Healthy: Foods that are high in sodium, sugar and fat increase water retention slowing your metabolism and hence your ability to process THC. Greens and fibers, on the other hand, boost your metabolism helping with the cannabis detox process.
- Drink Tea: Many teas are high in antioxidants. Others advertise themselves to be liver-cleansing. These may assist with the detox process.
Are There Detox Remedies That Speed Up Cannabis Detox?
There are several products on the market advertised to assist with detox. These include drinks, shampoos, capsules, chewable tablets, and kits.There are even mouthwashes that are designed to help you pass a saliva test.
However, these products have side effects that will make your urine look suspicious. “Cleanses and teas can lower THC levels through their diuretic properties. They make individuals urinate a lot which technically washes out the kidneys,” explains Nicholas Rosetti, manager of clinical services of the Mobile Health health center.
“This flushing of the kidneys can lower the specific gravity or density of the urine and a low specific gravity indicates contamination on a test, and the specimen could be discounted.”
Cleanses and teas can also alter the amount of creatine in the urine which can also indicate contamination. The tester may assume you tried to cheat on your drug test. Although this doesn’t mean they will automatically record you as positive for THC, it will make the sample unacceptable, and you will need to be tested again.
There are also natural remedies that are said to speed up the cannabis detox process. These include cranberry juice, vinegar, and niacin. However, there is no scientific evidence that these are effective.
What to Expect During a Cannabis Detox
If you use cannabis often, you may experience withdrawal side effects including the following:
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Decreased appetite
These occur because your body is so used to having cannabis in its system that it is unable to function properly without it.
THC withdrawal symptoms shouldn’t be as prominent as it is with other, stronger drugs. However, they can make the cannabis detox process challenging. That’s why it’s important to take care of your mental health.
Do your best to limit stress while detoxing. Take time out to pamper yourself with spa treatments and by doing things you enjoy. Exercising and eating healthy will also help minimize symptoms.
Cannabis detox is not always easy. Although there are things you can do to speed up the process, the best solution may be to wait it out. Here’s hoping your test results are exactly what you want them to be.
