By Luke Sumpter

Cannabis creams and lotions feel great on the skin. For this reason, among others, many people include the herb in their daily skin care regimen—but will topical cannabis show up in a drug test? And what about products containing CBD? Find out everything you need to know about cannabis topicals and drug testing below.


What Are Topicals and How Do They Work?

Cannabis topicals are preparations that are applied directly to the skin. Historically, physicians of various cultures administered the herb as a topical holistic preparation. The Ebers papyrus[1], dated to 1500 BCE, mentions the use of topical cannabis for inflammation, and German physician and botanist Leonhart Fuchs wrote of the topical application of cannabis roots in combating gout[2] back in 1542.

In the modern era, there are a large number of topical cannabis products available, including lotions, creams, serums, and balms. These products offer consumers a range of cannabis components, including varying levels of THC, CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes. Often, they are blended with other commonly used natural cosmetic products, including shea butter and vitamin E.

Ongoing studies are currently assessing the potential benefits of topically applied cannabis. The cannabinoids in these formulas are thought to interact with the endocannabinoid system in the skin. Also known as the ECS, this system helps to regulate other physiological systems through a network of signalling molecules (endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes).

Interestingly, compounds in cannabis, including THC and CBD, closely mimic endocannabinoids and are therefore able to influence this regulatory system in different ways. In the skin, the ECS plays an important role in cell proliferation, growth, differentiation, and hormone production. Researchers are aiming to find out if cannabis-derived compounds can influence this system in a way to optimise these functions and possibly help conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

Cannabis Topical

Do Cannabis Topicals Show Up on a Drug Test?

Smoking, vaping, and ingesting cannabis can certainly cause THC to flag up on a drug test. As cannabis remains prohibited in many areas of the world, this can spell disaster for certain careers. But where do topicals stand when it comes to cannabinoid screening in the workplace? Can THC cream make you test positive?

Topical cannabis products produce a local effect on the skin. The epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis stand between the outside world and the bloodstream. Products such as lotions, balms, and creams deliver cannabinoids to superficial skin cells; the molecules don’t penetrate deep enough to enter the blood and cause systemic effects.

A 2017 study[3] published in the journal Forensic Science International had volunteers apply a THC-containing topical to their neck, arms, legs, and trunk. The researchers took blood and urine samples after application and concluded that the topical product failed to produce a positive cannabinoid finding.

Can Transdermal THC Patches Show on a Drug Test?

Yes. The transdermal route of delivery allows THC and other cannabis compounds to permeate the layers of skin and gain entry into the bloodstream. Most companies screen for THC using urine testing. Metabolites of the cannabinoid remain detectable in the body for anywhere between 1 and 30 days, depending on the frequency of use. Even if you only use a transdermal patch once, you could still trigger a positive test during the next three days following application.

What’s the Difference Between Topicals and Transdermal Patches?

Although both are applied to the skin, topical and transdermal routes of administration feature two very different mechanisms. Transdermal patches containing cannabinoids feature permeability enhancers that allow THC, CBD, and other compounds to easily traverse the multiple layers of skin and work their way into the bloodstream. The technology within transdermal patches releases cannabinoids slowly over a period of time, resulting in a sustained release via the skin. Once in the blood, cannabinoids enter the brain and other organs and produce systemic effects.

Not only can users experience psychoactive effects from transdermal THC patches, but metabolites from the cannabinoid can show up in urine tests for several days after using them.

Can Topical CBD Make You Fail a Drug Test?

It depends on the route of administration. Many CBD products contain only trace levels of THC, whereas others contain equal parts THC and CBD. However, if applied topically as a cream or lotion, these products will not deliver THC into the systemic circulation, and therefore can’t cause a positive cannabinoid screening. In contrast, transdermal patches that contain CBD and enough THC to raise blood levels to 50ng/ml[4] can trigger a positive result. If you want to use transdermal CBD patches without risking failing a screening, ensure that the product contains no trace of THC.

Cannabis topicals

Can Cannabis Topicals Get You High?

Creams, lotions, balms, and other products applied directly to the skin can’t get you high, regardless of the concentration of THC in the preparation. Although these topicals produce local effects on the skin, don’t expect to experience red eyes, munchies, and euphoria.

If you’re aiming to get high without inhaling or ingesting cannabinoids, then transdermal patches containing large concentrations of THC will produce some level of psychoactive effect. However, due to the low and steady release of cannabinoids through the skin, don’t expect the experience to come on in the same way as smoking a joint.

Cannabis Topicals: Always Err on the Side of Caution

Cannabis topicals have been used throughout human history, and modern researchers are attempting to find out exactly how they impact the ECS in the skin. If you started this article wondering if hemp lotion will show on a drug test, you now have your answer! Cannabinoids in topical formulas cannot penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream.

However, all of this changes with transdermal application. These patches deliver cannabinoids into the blood and can cause a psychoactive effect and a positive screening. Even if you’re using CBD patches, you need to ensure they contain no trace amounts of THC if you’re trying to avoid detection on a drug test.

External Resources:
  1. History of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Cannabis Roots: A Traditional Therapy with Future Potential for Treating Inflammation and Pain https://www.liebertpub.com
  3. Topical application of THC containing products is not able to cause positive cannabinoid finding in blood or urine - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Content - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center https://www.urmc.rochester.edu
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: