How Long Does Weed Stay In System After Quitting?

The use of weed and cannabis products presents one common concern among consumers: how long does weed stay in system after quitting? To address the concern, we need to know more about the active ingredient, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and its effect on the body.

Drug tests for weed, also known as cannabis, measure the amount of THC and its metabolites in the body. THC is detected in the blood or saliva about two to twenty-four hours after use.

According to studies, chronic marijuana users can test positive for THC for up to 30 days after use. Drug tests such as urine and hair tests also have a longer duration of detection window.

We need to know more about these THC detection tests to find out how long the weed stays in the system after quitting. Let’s look into the factors that detect THC in the body after quitting.

THC Metabolism

Drug tests detect THC and its metabolites in the body. Therefore, it’s critical to understand more about THC metabolism to find the answer to the popular concern.

When you use weed, whether through vaping, smoking, or through edibles, your bloodstream absorbs the active ingredient. THC makes its way to the blood, tissues, and organs, such as the brain, to produce psychoactive effects.

Once THC enters your bloodstream, the liver metabolizes or breaks it down into its metabolites. The most important compound is THC-COOH.

This non-psychoactive compound gets stored in the fat cells. Therefore, the potency may also affect the duration of the testing window.

The duration of the detection window depends on variable factors such as your body fat, metabolic rate, and frequency of cannabis usage.

THC that is stored in the fat cells is released into the bloodstream, processed by the liver, and excreted in the urine, sweat, and feces. These processes take a few days to weeks or even months as the factors controlling these body processes are variable.

Factors Affecting THC Retention

Certain factors play an important role in THC retention in the body. Due to these factors, the weed is detected in the body long after the effects have worn off.

To address the concern as to how long weed stays in the system after quitting, we have to look into these influencing factors.

Frequency of Use and Potency

The THC detection window depends on how much weed you consume and how often. If you use certain cannabis products with a high concentration of THC, the frequency of use and its concentration affect the window because occasional users quickly metabolize weed and its by-products. Higher potency stays in the system for longer.

When cannabis by-products bind to the fat molecules and are digested, they are excreted out of the body. However, higher doses with more frequent use prolong the time it takes to clear out weed from the system because it keeps accumulating in the fat cells.

Method of Consumption

When you smoke weed, the immediate effects kick in. The THC in cannabis reaches your bloodstream via the lungs, producing these quick effects.

However, edibles stay longer in the system because they are metabolized differently. When you ingest weed, your liver processes the THC and converts it into 11-hydroxy-THC.

These by-products stay longer if stored in body fat and result in a slower clearance from the system.

Body Fat

Weed metabolites are fat-soluble — meaning they bind to the fat molecules in the body. People with a higher body fat percentage store more THC metabolites for longer periods than those who have a lower body fat. This prolongs or shortens the detection window for THC.

How Long Does Weed Stay In System After Quitting?

Looking into the THC detection time for different types of tests provides a clear explanation of how long weed stays in the system after quitting. Here are the most common tests.

Urine Tests

The most common THC detection and drug tests are through urine samples. Urine tests measure THC-COOH present in the fat cells. A single use has a detection period of three days, while moderate use is detected about five to seven days after use.

The test also depends on the amount of THC present in the urine sample. For example, a urine test comes out positive if the amount of THC is more than 50 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).

Regular weed consumption through urine tests is detected even after 15 days, while chronic users have THC detectable in their urine for 30 days after quitting due to the higher potency.

Blood Tests

Blood tests can only measure the presence of THC in the bloodstream. This rules out the presence of metabolites stored in fat cells. Therefore, blood tests are only effective for recent weed use.

THC stays in the blood for 1-2 days after consumption. If you quit using weed, it clears up from the bloodstream after two days. However, if you quit after chronic use, weed stays in the system for longer, but blood tests don’t detect it.

Saliva Tests

Short-term and immediate use of weed is detected in the saliva tests. If you occasionally smoke weed, saliva tests detect it for up to three days post-consumption.

For chronic users, weed does not clear out of the system within three days, but saliva tests are unable to detect them as the metabolites and other by-products are stored in the body’s fat cells.

Hair Tests

People with a long history of cannabis use can go for a hair test. THC metabolites are detected in the hair for up to 90 days.

Having an edible or occasionally smoking weed does not affect the results. However, chronic use stores THC in the hair follicles.

Our hair grows 1.5 centimeters per month. The strands can have THC metabolites in the structure, which are detected long after its use. With short-term use, it only shows up on a hair test 20-30 days after use.

As hair tests have the longest detection window for chronic weed consumption, we can conclude that weed stays in the system from 30 days to 90 days post-consumption in case of regular use.

Wrapping Up

The duration for which weed stays in the system after quitting is determined through several factors. These variable factors are the frequency of use, metabolism, body fat percentage, and the type of drug test you take.

Certain methods can help eliminate weed from the system quickly. For example, frequent physical activity helps burn the fat cells that store THC, while other methods of consuming a healthy diet aid with detoxification.

If you try to clear out cannabis from your system through detoxification methods, remember that what works for someone may not work for you. Simply allowing the body to naturally clear the by-products of weed from cannabis products is the best way to eliminate it.