The process of applying for work these days is verging on the comical. For instance, some McDonald’s locations require cashiers to have a Bachelor’s Degree and in some cities nearly 10% of businesses require an applicant to take a drug test. It’s insane, but it also happens to be the way it is at the moment so we have to deal with it.

The widespread abuse of drug testing has caused a lot of people to wonder how long weed stays in their system. In this post, the team at the Puffr wholesale smoke shop investigate the issue and provide the answer.

How Long Does Weed Stay in Your System?

If you’re applying for a job there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to be drug tested, especially if that job involves any sort of driving, equipment operation (including heavy equipment) or serious managerial responsibilities. But if you’re like 50 million other Americans you smoke weed, and that has you wondering whether the hits you took off that customized water pipe at the party last Saturday are going to come back to haunt you. The same applies to people who already have jobs that require passing random drug tests.

So how long exactly does weed stay in your system? Well, first of all, that's the wrong question. The right question is "How long does THC stay in your system?" After all, it's not the weed per se that gets you high, it's the tetrahydrocannabinol or THC that does the trick.

THC is one of 113 cannabinoids found in marijuana and is the one with the most potent psychoactive properties. When you smoke (or vape) the THC enters your bloodstream through your lungs and travels to your brain via the bloodstream where it works its magic. But it doesn’t stop there. By way of the bloodstream it also winds up in saliva, hair and urine.

The exact amount of time THC remains in these different parts of the body will depend on things like how frequently and how much a person smokes. That said, as a general rule THC will remain in the blood for about 12 hours, in the urine anywhere from 3 to 7 days, in saliva for up to 3 days or more (considerably more if you smoke regularly) and in your hair for up to 90 days.

So if you tested out your new custom bong on Friday night and you have a drug test on Tuesday you could be in for trouble, unless they test your blood, which almost no one does.

Ways To Purge THC from Your System

If a drug test is looming on the horizon and you recently partook of your customized bong you need to make sure your harmless pastime doesn’t cost you your job. While nothing is guaranteed here are a few hacks you can try that may help to purge your system of THC faster than what might otherwise occur:

Drink lots of water: The more you drink the more you will urinate and the better chance you have of flushing the THC from your system. If you really want to ramp up your trips to the bathroom, drink a lot of water along with coffee.

Exercise: Exercise forces your metabolism to work faster. Exercise also burns fat which helps root out THC hiding in fat cells. When you burn off those fat cells the THC re-enters your bloodstream and then ends up in your kidneys from where it is eliminated.

Drink water with lemon juice in it: The first two methods of purging THC are the most reliable, but you might also try drinking water with lemon juice because lemon juice has been known to trigger the burning of fat cells. Be mindful though: this will only help if you drink lots of it and don’t eat much.

Things That Influence How Long THC Remains in Your System

No two people are exactly alike and so the things we’re going to list here are generalities, not precise absolutes. Factors that influence how long THC stays in the human body include:

• Age: Older people have slower metabolisms which is one reason people tend to put on weight as they age.
• Gender: Men in general have higher metabolisms than women. But women can level this playing field a bit by exercising.
• BMI: Body mass index is another factor that determines how long THC stays in your system. The higher the concentration of body fat, the more places THC will have to hide.
• Frequency of use: If you smoke weed once a month it will clear from your system pretty easily. If you smoke every day you can expect it to take longer to clear your system.
• Method of consumption: THC will stay in your system longer if you eat it than it will if you smoke it.

Final Thoughts From Puffr's Team

While it makes sense to conduct drug tests on airline pilots and truck drivers in many other cases drug tests are simple employer overreach. Nonetheless, people need to be ready for them. We at the Puffr wholesale head shop hear horror stories all the time about people who smoked weed over the weekend and failed a test midweek. Don't let that happen to you. If you are given forewarning about a pending drug test take it seriously and abstain for a couple of weeks prior. Your customized glass hand pipes will still be there for you to enjoy after the test.