CBD oils can help with a wide variety of ailments and can be very effective for relieving pain and discomfort. For some, one of the most appealing characteristics of hemp extract CBD oil is that it does not have the same intoxicating effects that are associated with THC. While many people are aware that CBD won’t get you high, there can still be quite a bit of confusion about whether or not it will show up on a drug test. This can be a major concern for some people and it’s incredibly important to be clear on how CBD products and drug testing might work together.
People who require drug testing from their employers for safety or ethical reasons, professional athletes, or anyone who have certain legal obligations may be required to undergo a drug test. Failing this test could affect your livelihood, you may be subjected to fines, or your freedom may be at risk depending on your circumstances. Using CBD oil when you’re unsure of the outcome of a potential drug test may not be worth the risk, even if the benefits are helping you a great deal. Once you understand how drug tests work, what they’re looking for, and what’s in your CBD product you’ll be able to make a smart decision about using CBD.
What Are They Testing For?
Drug tests may be looking for any variety of controlled substances but if you’re taking CBD then any tests looking for marijuana will be your main concern. You may be thinking that CBD oil isn’t marijuana so you have nothing to worry about. It’s not always quite so clear as that and you have to give some thought to what exactly your oil was made from and how much of it you ingest on a regular basis.
How Your CBD Oil is Made Matters
With marijuana drug testing, it’s generally the THC in marijuana that the test is looking for. If you are taking a cannabis CBD oil, which would be made from marijuana, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll have THC in your system and it’s going to show up on a drug test. On the other hand, if your CBD oil is made from industrial hemp, the plant material your oil was made from should have less than 0.3% THC by dry weight. This is an almost insignificant amount so typically hemp extract CBD oil should not pose a problem when it comes to drug testing. That being said, you must do your due diligence when choosing a product so be 100% certain what you’re taking is what it says it is.
THC in Hemp Extract CBD Oil
There really should not be any significant amounts of THC in your hemp extract CBD oil but it can be hard to tell for sure exactly what your oil was made from and what’s really in it. CBD oil isn’t very well regulated and producers can easily get away with putting out products that don’t contain what they’ve advertised. Choosing a producer that offers up to date third party lab test results for their CBD oils allows you to review exactly what is in your product, especially regarding how much THC it contains. This is definitely not the only reason to request or review third party lab reports but it’s certainly a very significant one.
If your hemp extract CBD oil was indeed made from a hemp extract and it does contain very minimal levels of THC you could still have enough THC in your system if you’re taking very high quantities of CBD on a daily basis. It’s difficult to say how much THC may be in your system because everyone’s metabolism is different and one person’s body may flush the THC much more quickly than someone else’s.
Be Upfront and Transparent
If you have a good relationship with your employer, or whoever is directing the drug testing, it can be beneficial to simply let them know you take a hemp extract CBD oil. If you choose, you can discuss the ailments it helps with and explain that while it may contain trace amounts of THC, the amounts are typically insignificant and are always non-intoxicating. Providing a letter from your doctor can also be helpful to explain why you’re using CBD and to clarify that it’s being used for medical purposes. This type of conversation may be unnecessary if your CBD product contains almost no THC but it is an option should the necessity arise.
Types of Drug Tests
The most common drug tests are through saliva, blood, urine, and hair. Each test provides its own unique data, varies in expense, and can be more or less invasive to the individual being tested.
Saliva tests are very quick, non-invasive, and effective at detecting THC, but they only show results within about 24 hours of marijuana or THC use. They are most helpful when determining current impairment from marijuana use and are becoming more commonly used by police who are looking for impaired drivers.
Urine tests are a little more invasive than a saliva test and they can usually detect THC from several days to several weeks after use, depending on the frequency and quantity of ingestion. Urine tests are quite reliable and are intended to show recent use but are not usually useful to show current impairment.
A blood test can be very accurate within the first few hours of marijuana use but it’s very invasive and is not useful to show any history of use past a single day. Blood tests are more expensive than others and require lab techs to provide results so while they can show THC in the system, they aren’t typically used to test for it specifically.
Hair tests can detect marijuana for up to 90 days and it’s a very non-invasive test. The only issue with hair testing is that exposure to secondhand smoke could deposit THC into your hair, resulting in a false positive.
Use a CBD Isolate Product
If drug testing is a concern and you want to be absolutely sure you will not be risking a positive test result for THC, a CBD isolate is a great solution. CBD isolates aren’t usually people’s first choice because you won’t be receiving the full spectrum of the plant material, which can also provide beneficial effects. If peace of mind is of the utmost importance, CBD isolates can definitely be a much more appealing choice than a full spectrum CBD oil.
When you use a hemp extract CBD oil, positive results for THC is usually not an issue. However, hemp and marijuana are only categorized as different plants based on an arbitrary decision that 0.3% of THC is the dividing line between the two. Cannabis can be cultivated to have a wide range of CBD and THC levels so to always be on the safe side, review third party lab reports. In situations where you simply cannot risk any THC showing in your system, go with a CBD isolate product and leave nothing to chance.
