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How Long Does Weed Stay in the System of an Athlete?

By Last updated on November 15, 2024Last updated on November 15, 2024No Comments
how long does weed stay in the system of an athlete
Iftikhar Alam

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Reviewed by Cannabis Experts

Published on: November 5, 2020 | Updated on: November 15, 2024

If you are new to cannabis and curious about how long does weed stay in the system of an athlete, knowing the specific ways weed interacts with your body is important.

The detection window for different kinds of cannabis differs as per research. A single cannabis cigarette can last in the body’s system for about three days.

Sports leagues’ tests for weed can pose a considerable challenge for many athletes. Colleges and other major pro leagues ask their players to submit to drug tests of varying types. Weed is a banned substance for most athletic establishments, and it is, therefore, essential to rapidly get clean or find a means of flushing it out from your system.

What Is Tested in Drug Tests?

In drug tests, THC (delta-9-THC) is the compound in cannabis that gets checked for. After consuming weed as an athlete, components that are not THC-related do not remain in the body system for a long time.

THC is the active compound found in both medical and recreational marijuana that causes short-term euphoric effects. Although the effects of THC last just a few hours, THC can stay in your system for much longer.

However, within hours after feeling the effects of weed wear off, THC gets metabolized into a couple of inactive metabolites without necessarily making an individual experience a high.

Hence, the weed test window checks for the THC metabolites in their inactive form. During the process of THC metabolism, at least 80 distinct metabolites get broken down. The breakdowns are packaged in body fats and eliminated through urine and feces.

How Long Does Weed Stay in the System of an Athlete?

how long does weed stay in the system of an athlete?

The length of time THC stays in the body or continues to show in a drug test depends on many factors. These include:

  • Dosage: The higher the amount of THC consumed, the longer it will take the body to break down and work through the THC and its corresponding metabolites.
  • Frequency of Use: The overall duration and frequency of use by the consumer have a substantial influence on the length of time that weed will stay in your system. Most research on cannabinoid detection demonstrates that THC stays in the system of chronic users for far longer than one time or even occasional users.
  • Genetics: Genetics also impact the length of time that THC remains in your system. For instance, people inherit different variants of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes, which modify THC in the body, resulting in its elimination through the urine.
  • Fat: The amount of fat in the body is also a significant factor. The metabolite THC-COOH is fat-soluble and binds to fat molecules, where they can be stored for a lengthy period. In the same vein, exercise can also impact the levels of detectable THC metabolites. When fat is burned, dormant THC from fat can be released into the blood and excreted from the body in urine or feces.
  • Metabolism: A body with higher metabolic functions can break down cannabinoids faster, shortening the length of time that THC and its metabolites will remain detectable in the body.
  • Levels of Exercise and Activity: The more active you are, the faster your metabolism will work to eliminate traces of THC in your system. By speeding up your bloodstream and sweating out excess fluid during exercise, you increase the likelihood of expelling THC byproducts from your system.While exercising can help you get rid of THC from your system, it will do the exact opposite right before a drug test. Fat cells release stored-up THC into the bloodstream during exercise, which may increase the concentration of THC in your system even if you have not consumed any THC products in the past few days.

Drugs such as alcohol may completely disappear from the body in just a few hours. In comparison, weed lingers for much longer.

With all this said, generally if weed is in your system, it is tested in the following ways:

Saliva Testing

Saliva testing is widely conducted for drug testing, but it is not an accurate detector. Even if you have not ingested cannabis in any form but instead were only subjected to secondhand smoke, you can have a detectable amount in your saliva.

Also, saliva testing has a short window for detection and is usually used to detect same-day cannabis use.

Some THC and marijuana drug tests will test the individual’s saliva for traces of THC. THC will first appear in saliva about an hour after use if that is the case.

After first appearing, THC will remain detectable in your saliva until it is swallowed entirely, which typically takes somewhere between one and two days after use. As per a study, THC can be detected in the mouth or saliva of smokers up to 72 hours after smoking it. But, for acute users, the timeline extends beyond that.

Drinking water, brushing your teeth, eating fatty foods, and using mouthwash may help speed up the removal of THC from saliva. Saliva tests are being explored as a potential way to check for marijuana use in drivers, though some cannabis advocates feel they are not reliable enough to test for impairment.

Urine Tests

The most common type of THC and marijuana drug test is a urine test due to the ease of use and low cost. In the urine, byproducts of THC are detectable for a more extended period, meaning they can reveal marijuana use for weeks after use.

How long does weed stay in the system of an athlete? THC can stay in the urine for different lengths depending on the usage of cannabis.

    • Single-time users may have it in their systems and urine for 1 to 3 days.
    • For moderate users or those who use it up to four times a week, the effect will last for 5 to 7 days.
    • Chronic users or those who consume it every day will have it in their urine for 10 to 15 days.
    • Lastly, heavy users who use who intake cannabis multiple times a day will have it in the system for over 30 days.

This is a general guideline, but many other factors also contribute to how long the THC will stay in your urine. It may extend beyond these ranges if you have a lot of body fat, and it also depends on your body’s rate of metabolism, hydration level, and the kind of cannabis intake.

Blood Tests

Some THC and marijuana drug tests will test the user’s blood. Your body rapidly metabolizes THC, and it will only remain detectable in your blood for somewhere between a few hours and one to two days after a single use.

For those who are heavy marijuana users (multiple times a day), THC may stay in the bloodstream for up to a week. Blood tests for marijuana use are rare and are usually only conducted as a follow-up to a potential false positive on a previous testing method.

So, regarding blood tests, how long does weed stay in the system of an athlete? The general rule is:

  • Single usage lasts for 1 to 2 days.
  • Moderate use may show up in your blood for up to 3 days.
  • Chronic users will test positive for traces of cannabis for up to 4 to 7 days.
  • Lastly, heavy users may have positive for up to 7 days or even longer than that.

Again, factors like your health, cannabis intake, and metabolism play a significant role in determining the length of time it stays in your system.

Hair Detection

The standard for hair follicle drug tests is 1.5 inches of hair, which shows three months of potential marijuana use, but some hair follicle tests reveal marijuana use going back a few years.

THC can last the longest in hair as compared to urine and blood. The traces of THC in hair can last up to 90 days or even more than that.

How Does Cannabis Travel Through the Body?

To fully understand how long weed can stay in your system, it is important to establish how THC travels through and interacts with the body.

When cannabis is smoked or vaporized, THC enters the bloodstream through the lungs. From there, THC is carried in the bloodstream directly to the heart and pumped throughout the body, binding to the CB1 receptors located in the brain, specific organs, and central nervous system, as well as the CB2 receptors in the spleen and immune system.

As blood circulates throughout the body, THC is continuously passed through the liver and broken down into metabolites. Most drug screening methods look for one metabolite called 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC or THC-COOH to detect cannabis in the body.

The process is slightly different when weed enters the system in the form of an edible or capsule. When cannabis is ingested, THC enters the bloodstream through the walls of the stomach and intestine, traveling directly to the liver, where a large amount is eliminated or metabolized. The remaining THC and THC metabolites are then circulated by the heart and sent to the brain.

The exact amount of time marijuana and THC are detectable in urine largely depends on how often you use marijuana. Many individual factors can affect these ranges, such as:

  • If you have only used marijuana once, then THC byproducts remain in your urine for about five to eight days after one-time use.
  • If you typically consume marijuana somewhere between two and four days a week, then THC can be found in your urine 10 to 18 days after your last consumption.
  • If you consume marijuana five to six days a week, then you are at risk of failing a THC urine test for 33 to 48 days after your last consumption.

How Athletes Can Beat a Weed Drug Test

As an athlete, you might have a drug test popping up soon and want to find a way of getting THC out of your system as fast as possible. Unfortunately, speeding up the flushing process to get rid of THC can be challenging. The first step would be to stop using cannabis immediately.

Apart from quitting or not taking cannabis, there are ways to beat the drug test. Remember, these may not be entirely ethical or lawful, but might just work!

Hydrate

Some athletes drink a lot of water before the test. This dilutes the urine sample, so it has lower THC levels that may fall below the detectable limit.

But be careful; unrealistically diluted urine can raise suspicion, and the testing agencies may request a retest.

Exercise

THC is stored in the fat cells of the body. Exercising helps burn fat and release the stored THC in the system. So, while on the one hand, it will burn and take the THC out of the system, it could also increase the THC levels in the blood temporarily.

Detox

There are many products available to use today that can detox the body and help eliminate THC from the system.

Several drinks, kits, and pills are designed for the purpose. However, how effective they are isn’t established. However, they can be used to mask the effect or concentration level of THC metabolites.

Use Synthetic Urine

Some people use synthetic urine instead of the actual urine sample for the test. However, advanced drug testing facilities can detect such samples, making your test null and void.

Time it Out

Keep tabs on the kind of test you’ll be asked to undergo. Since all different types, like blood, urine, saliva, and hair tests, have different detection windows, you can plan ahead of the test and stop using cannabis in time to clear the test.

Conclusion

So, how long does weed stay in the system of an athlete? To be honest, there’s no hard and fast rule. It depends on so many variables that you can’t set a standard. The frequency of use, body metabolic rate, body fat, type of drug test you’ll undergo, etc., all have a role to play.

Sources

Footnotes

References

The content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Cannabis use is subject to local laws and regulations, which vary widely by jurisdiction. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment or altering an existing treatment regimen. The authors and publishers of this blog are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided herein. Use cannabis responsibly and in accordance with applicable laws. This blog is intended for adults aged 21 and over. The Sanctuary Dispensaries D186, D187.

Iftikhar Alam

With more than a decade of experience in writing for the cannabis industry, Alam is a well-established voice educating cannabis enthusiasts and inspiring and advocating responsible cannabis consumption. His expertise spans a range of topics, including cultivation techniques, medicinal benefits, legal developments, and lifestyle cannabis trends. LinkedIn profile