How To Get THC Out Of Your System

Let’s be honest, drug tests are a pain. Unfortunately, they’re becoming increasingly popular in professional settings, both as a filter during interviews and as part of regular workplace testing.

If you’re unlucky enough to be facing an upcoming drug test, fear not; there are a number of ways to flush THC from your system. Read on to find out how.

HOW DO DRUG TESTS WORK?

Before we get into the details on how to flush THC from your system, let’s take some time to better understand how drug tests work.

Drug tests essentially look for THC metabolites. These metabolites are tiny products left behind after THC has been processed by your system. One of the main THC metabolites is THC-COOH, which is stored in fatty tissue in the body.

There are 3 main types of drug tests; urine tests, blood tests, and hair follicle tests. Urine tests, also known as urinalysis, are the most common test used by employers.

In order for a urinalysis test to produce a positive reading, you’ll need to have a THC-COOH reading of 50ng/ml. That means you don’t need to be completely free of metabolites to pass a test.

HOW LONG DOES CANNABIS STAY IN YOUR SYSTEM?

THC metabolites have a half-life of 7 days. That means that every 7 days, the amount of metabolites in your body decreases by about 50%. Hence, you can usually expect to be completely free of THC-COOH within 4 weeks if you don’t use cannabis at all during this time.

Unfortunately, most cannabis users don’t have a full month to get clean before a drug test. In fact, many drug tests are designed to be held with little notice so as not to give users time to flush drug metabolites from their bodies.

THC-COOH can usually be detected via urine or blood tests for up to 3 weeks after consumption. For daily cannabis users, this detection period could span even longer. Hair follicle tests, on the other hand, can turn up positive for up to 90 days after consumption, even for irregular users.

In some cases, THC-COOH can be detected over 90 days after consumption. This is extremely rare, however.

Remember, these are just general figures. The amount of time cannabis stays in your system can vary a lot depending on a number of factors, including:

• How much and how often you consume: The more cannabis you consume, the more metabolites will stick around in your system.
• Your body fat levels: Remember, THC-COOH is stored in fatty tissue, and higher body fat levels may accommodate more metabolites.
• Your metabolism: Everybody has different rates of metabolism. And just like we metabolise food at different rates, the same happens with cannabis. Unfortunately, no one really knows how well or fast your body metabolises cannabis except, well, your body.
• What you're consuming: Concentrates and edibles contain much higher concentrations of THC than regular flower. Vaporizing or dabbing also delivers more THC to your body than regular smoking methods. Hence, vaping or dabbing concentrates or eating edibles will usually leave behind more THC-COOH than smoking a joint or bong.

HOW TO FLUSH THC FROM YOUR SYSTEM

If you’ve got an upcoming drug test that’s got you on edge, you’ll be glad to know that there are a number of ways to try and flush cannabis metabolites from your system.

Note: The effectiveness of these methods varies. If you’ve got a scheduled drug test, we always recommend you refrain from using cannabis before the test. If you’re facing a random drug test, however, these methods might be worth a try.

1. DILUTE YOUR URINE

This is easily one of the oldest tricks in the book. The science behind this method goes like this; you’re basically trying to dilute your urine so you fall below the 50ng/ml threshold for a positive reading.

To dilute your urine, simply drink about 2-3 litres of water or another hydrating liquid one day prior to the test and roughly 1-2 litres on the day of the test. This will help push your metabolite levels down as your urine will contain a lot of water.

The great thing about this method is that it's perfect for time-sensitive situations. The downside, however, is that most drug labs are well prepared for it. Diluted urine samples usually stick out very easily because of their colour (clear) and low concentrations of creatinine, a byproduct of muscle metabolism.

To help avoid arousing suspicion, consider taking 50-100mg of vitamin B2 or B12 and a creatine tablet prior to the test. The vitamins will help give your urine some colour, while the creatine should help temporarily boost its creatinine levels.

Alternatively, you may want to use a detox drink XXtra Clean. Drinks like this help temporarily dilute your urine, but also contain vitamins and creatine to give you a clear urine sample without the red flags.

2. DO A DETOX

Detoxing is another great way to flush cannabis metabolites from your body. Abstain from drugs and stick to a balanced, healthy diet and regular exercise and you should be able to cleanse naturally in about 4-6 weeks.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the perfect solution if you’ve got a drug test in the near future. If this is the case, you may want to try a store-bought detox plan. There are plenty of options out there, some of them claiming to cleanse your body in less than 1 week.

If this isn’t a feasible option, you may want to try a same-day cleansing product. Unlike regular detoxes, these cleansers claim to temporarily flush your urinary tract and clear it of toxic metabolites like THC-COOH. Both regular detoxes and same-day cleansers are available at pharmacies and health stores.

3. FAKE YOUR URINE SAMPLE

Another popular alternative to passing urinalysis is to give a fake urine sample. You can do this by using a synthetic urine kit.

These kits are available online and come with a liquid used to chemically and visually represent urine, allowing you to produce a guaranteed clear sample.

Many people have successfully dodged drug tests using these kits. However, should you get caught, you may face hard repercussions and even fines, depending on where you live.

Also, remember that these kits are only useful in situations where you’re given a private bathroom. Not all labs provide this luxury.

Oh, and did we mention that you need to keep these fake samples warm? Remember, urine naturally sits at regular body temperature (roughly 100°F or 37°C). If you use a fake urine kit, remember to make sure the sample is close to this temperature when you give it off.

If you choose to go this route, remember to ensure you're using a high-quality urine kit. All fake urine solutions should contain:

• Uric acid
• Urea
• Creatinine
• Nitrates

Urine kits should also be a regular pH (between 4.8-8) and should ideally have a urine-like smell and produce a little bit of foam, too.

EXTRA TIPS FOR PASSING A DRUG TEST

The above 3 methods are arguably the most popular and reliable methods for passing a drug test. There are others out there, but we recommend sticking to these.

Also, here are a couple last-minute tips to help you pass your drug test:

• Avoid exercise: Exercising burns fat and can cause a temporary spike in metabolite levels.
• Always give a urine sample from the middle of your urine stream: The first and final parts of the stream usually contain the highest concentration of toxins.