Does CBD Show Up On A Drug Test?

Cannabidiol (CBD), a constituent of the cannabis plant, has recently surged into the therapeutic spotlight due to its purported medicinal benefits for myriad health conditions. This non-psychoactive compound can be found in pharmacy store aisles around the world — maybe even in your local CVS Pharmacy or Walgreens.

As the CBD craze sweeps the nation, however, some people are worried that their use of CBD will show up on a drug screening.

Should you worry about CBD showing up on a drug test?

Workplace Drug Testing in the United States has become common, both in Federally regulated programs and in private industries. But should you be worried about failing your drug test because you use CBD?

Drug tests do not screen for CBD because this chemical compound has no psychoactive properties and does not cause the ‘high’ associated with cannabis. What these tests do look for is the presence of the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis plants, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or one of its main metabolites, THC-COOH. THC can hide in the fat cells of your body for up to 30 days while using Full spectrum products. The CBD isolate on the other hand will not fail any drug tests.

How much THC must be present to register on a drug test?

Different federal drug testing methods have different cut-off values and detection windows, as listed below:

Urine

In urine, THC-COOH must be present at a concentration of 50 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) to trigger a positive test. (A nanogram is approximately one-billionth of a gram.) Detection windows vary a lot according to dose and frequency of use. In general, THC metabolites are detectable in urine for approximately 3 to 15 days after use. Heavier, more frequent cannabis use can lead to longer detection windows — more than 30 days, in some cases.

Blood

Blood tests are far less common than urine tests for drug screening because THC is quickly eliminated from the bloodstream. It is only detectable in plasma for up to five hours, though THC metabolites are detectable for up to seven days. In states where cannabis is legal, THC blood concentration of 1, 2, or 5 ng/mL suggests impairment. Other states have zero-tolerance policies.

Saliva

Currently, saliva testing is not common, and there are no established cut-off limits for detecting THC in saliva. A set of 2017 recommendations published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology suggest a cut-off value of 4 ng/mL. THC is detectable in oral fluids for around 72 hours, but may be detectable for much longer with chronic, heavy use.

Hair

Hair testing is not common, and there are currently no established cut-off limits for THC metabolites in hair. Private industry cut-offs include 1 picogram per milligram (pg/mg) of THC-COOH. (A picogram is about one-trillionth of a gram.) THC metabolites are detectable in hair for up to 90 days.

Reasons Why CBD Oil Users May Test Positive for THC

Hemp-derived CBD is required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to contain less than 0.3% THC, although regular daily ingestion of high doses of this — in the thousands of milligrams per day — may still cause THC to accumulate. So, if you are liberal with your hemp CBD use, you could hypothetically test positive for THC and fail your drug test. If you are tested regularly for your job/ and or probation be weary of the possibility of testing positive for THC from Full Spectrum products.

There is also potential for cross-contamination during the CBD manufacturing process, even when THC is present only in very small amounts. Cross-contamination may be more likely for manufacturers preparing products that contain CBD only, THC only, or a combination of the two with cheaper extraction methods.

As mentioned above, CBD oil extracted from hemp should not have more than 0.3% THC. Be that as it may, mislabelled CBD products proliferate outside the state-licensed cannabis market, where there is no regulatory or mandatory oversight of the FDA. As a result, it is difficult to know what is in them. This is why third party lab testing is crucial.

Conclusion

Drug tests do not screen for CBD, but if you use it, you may still [hypothetically] fail a drug test when using full spectrum products. The CBD industry is not consistently regulated, and it is hard to know what you are getting when you purchase a CBD product. If you want to avoid failing your drug test, make sure that you are purchasing CBD products from reliable retailers.

Shop for CBD products from New Age Hemp

If you are looking to buy CBD products, check out our online selection of CBD oil products right away. At New Age Hemp, we offer complete transparency by conducting third party testing on every single batch we process and by making those test results available to you. We use an independent, 3rd party lab, currently Steep Hill, to test to measure total THC per batch to scientifically validate the products’ quality ingredients and contents. When you shop with us, you can be sure that what you are getting is pure and has no more than 0.3% THC.