Although both medical
marijuana and recreational marijuana have been legalized in California,
marijuana laws still give employers the right to maintain a drug-free
workplace. Tests for marijuana, alcohol and other illicit drugs are therefore
still fairly common to prevent people from being intoxicated at work.
Many employers will
require you to be drug tested as a condition of employment. Pre-employment
drugs tests are legal providing they are properly conducted, and the courts
have upheld employers rights to refuse to hire an applicant that tests positive
even if they have a medical recommendation.
There are also other
reasons why you may need to take tests for marijuana and other types of drugs
at short notice. Although random employee drug testing in California is highly
controversial there are certain professions where there are particular safety
issues that random drug testing is maintained, as well as certain federal
authorities that require it. Employers are also allowed to test with reasonable
suspicion of drug addiction or abuse.
Although both alcohol
and marijuana are legal for adults to use, testing for marijuana is different
from testing for alcohol as the drug screen is testing for THC metabolites
rather than actual THC levels. You can test for alcohol abuse at work to
determine if someone is under the influence but in the case of cannabis, a
urine drug abuse test will not show if someone is currently high.
Drug tests detect drug
metabolites that are produced by the body as part of the natural detoxification
process. A marijuana drug test, most commonly a urine drug test, will usually
be testing for the presence of THC-COOH a metabolite of THC that shows up in
urine for several days after use. Therefore a drug test result may be positive
even if the person is not under the influence at the time of the drug screen.
Whether you use cannabis
as a recreational drug or smoke weed medicinally it can stay in your system and
is detectable by various types of drug test from anywhere between a couple of
hours to several weeks or months.
Urine tests are most
common, especially as pre-employment tests, as they have good accuracy and are
cost-effective but blood, hair or saliva tests may also be used.
In order to pass your
drug test, you need to have not been using for long enough that the metabolites
will not show up when tested. Depending on how frequently and heavily you use
this detection window could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, which
can be especially difficult for medicinal users.
Home drug testing can be
a useful way to determine your chances of passing, and there are some things
you can do to help increase your chances by flushing your system and supporting
your body while it is naturally detoxing.
How Drug Tests Work
Drug tests detect drug metabolites
left behind in your system after the drug breaks down. THC metabolites can be
detected in your hair, blood, saliva, and urine and the detection window varies
depending on the type of test. Drugs and their metabolites stay in the system
for varying lengths of time before naturally passing through. How quickly you
would be able to pass a drug test will, therefore, depend on the type of test,
how frequently you use and how well your body is able to metabolize the THC.
Because THC is
fat-soluble, body fat also plays a role. THC is stored in fat cells and
released back into the body when fats are broken down by the body. As fat is an
energy store for the body this process, known as lipolysis, occurs when the
body is low on glucose stores and can be triggered by both exercise and stress.
The amounts of time that
tests results will come back positive for a urine test could vary from 1-3 days
for an occasional user, to up to a month for a chronic user with a high level
of body fat.
Types of Drug Tests
Whether or not you are
likely to get positive drug tests is dependent upon the type of drug test.
Urine drug tests are the most common workplace tests, but blood tests, saliva
testing or a hair follicle test could be used to test for illicit drug use.
Hair Drug Test
A hair drug test or hair
follicle test tests hair for the presence of metabolites embedded in the hair
shaft and can detect cannabis use for around 90 days or however long the hair
has been growing.
You might think you
could pass a hair follicle test by shaving your head, but body hair can also be
used and to remove all your body hair before a test is likely to cause
suspicion.
Mouth Swab Drug Test
A mouth swab drug test
is essentially a saliva drug test. These tests test for the actual presence of
THC rather than it's metabolites. A mouth swab test might be used by law
enforcement officers to determine if someone is driving under the influence
which remains illegal.
Mouth swab testing
generally has a shorter detection window but may be able to detect low levels
of cannabinoids in the saliva for up to 72 hours after use.
Urine Drug Test
Urine testing is the
most common test used by employers. Urine drug tests are cost-effective and
rarely if ever give false positives assuming the lab is properly carrying our
the urine testing.
Testing urine shows
cannabis metabolites naturally passing out of the body. Testing urine will
generally show positive results for anywhere between 1 and up to 30 days
depending on the individual's metabolism and frequency of use. If you are an
occasional user you would be likely to pass the test within 3 to 4 days but
chronic users should abstain for several weeks to give themselves the best
chances of passing.
Blood Tests
Blood tests can also be
used to check for cannabis use. Like saliva tests a blood tests checks for the
actual drug rather than it's metabolites and will generally give positive
results for up to 24 hours although this can increase to up to a week for heavy
users.
Blood testing is more
invasive than other types of testing so is not generally used by employers but
may be used by law enforcement when investigating accidents or to confirm if
someone is driving under the influence.
Passing the Test - Getting THC Out of Your System
You body starts
naturally detoxing as soon as you consume a drug, this detoxification process
will take different amounts of time depending on the type of drug, how much has
been consumed and other factors such as your metabolism, weight, and general
health.
Your chances of passing
increase with the amount of time since you last smoked marijuana, and will also
be higher if you are an occasional user rather than a habitual user. If you are
looking for work or planning on changing jobs and know that a pre-employment
drug test is likely then your best option is to stop using as soon as possible.
However, if you do get
caught out with last-minute tests for marijuana there are a number of things
you can do to increase your chances of passing the test including using detox
products or home remedies that support your body to detox naturally.
Once you have stopped
smoking, tips to pass include drinking a lot of water, exercising, eating
healthily including plenty of fiber and supporting the liver. All these actions
can help rid your body of THC by supporting its natural processes.
Although there is little
scientific evidence to back up the claims of using a detox drink,
detoxification products can support your body in naturally passing THC
metabolites through your system. Detox kits can be used just a few hours before
the test and may increase your chances of passing although there is no
guarantee and giving you body time to naturally detox is always preferable.
Other Ways to Pass
If you are pretty sure
you are not going to pass your drug test there are a number of things you can
consider.
It could be a good idea
to buy a test kit and perform home drug testing on the day of the test. If you
test positive the best option might be to try and rearrange the test. Also, you
need to be aware that home drug testing is not 100% accurate and so it is
possible to get an inaccurate drug test result.
As urine tests are the
most common there are a couple of options available to try and pass your test
and beat the system. Diluting your urine to lower the concentration of the
metabolites and hide evidence of substance abuse is one option.
Marijuana users may wish
to flush their system as much as possible on the day of the test and drink
plenty of water an hour before the test. However, diluting your urine too much
can lead testing centers to be suspicious so some people recommend taking b
vitamins to color the urine.
You might want to avoid
exercise the day of the test. Avoiding exercise can help to minimize
metabolites in the urine as exercise releases cannabinoids that are stored in
fatty tissue.
The other option is to
use fake urine. You can buy synthetic urine or powdered urine that can then be
substituted on the day of the test. Tips to pass using this method include
making sure that the fake urine is heated to body temperature and making sure
you do actually urinate in case the testing centers staff are listening.
Postponing your test
could also be a good option as this will give your body longer to
What Happens if You Fail Your Test
If you fail a drugs test
that is part of a pre-employment check you might find you don't get the job.
Although some employers will be more understanding if you have a medical
marijuana card which is simple to apply for online.
Failing a drug test
while employed may result in the need to attend addiction treatment programs.
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