Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is gaining popularity and renown for all the right reasons. With its health benefits, the medical community is starting to recognize the significance of medical marijuana and cannabinoids.

However, there’s a couple of hurdles that are preventing widespread adoption of the substance – a mandatory CBD drug test required by some organizations and businesses. 

Should you be worried about CBD and consuming it? Will consuming CBD cause you to fail a drug test?

Will you pass a CBD drug test?

Let’s find out.

Does CBD Show up on a Cannabis Drug Test?

cbd, cbd drug test, cbd stay in system

CBD, also known as cannabidiol, won’t show up on a drug test, but the answer is more complicated than a simple “no.” 

Today’s cannabis tests screen for tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC, the psychoactive compound responsible for weed’s “high” and the compounds that your own body produces to process THC. 

Unlike its close cousin, CBD is not psychoactive and won’t get you high. It’s not tested for on cannabis drug tests and won’t show up on a cannabis drug test. Additionally, CBD that’s sourced to create CBD tinctures and salves is taken from hemp plants, which have virtually 0% THC.

But, it’s important to keep in mind that not all cannabis tests are made equal and that different tests use different techniques to detect THC within the body.

The most commonly used one today is the urine test. The American National Institute of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration rule that the test is a failure if THC can be detected in the urine at levels greater than 50 nanograms/millilitre.

Next to urine tests, blood and hair tests are rare but check for a lower concentration of THC (15ng/ml) and are used to check for short-term THC consumption ranging from a few hours to a few days. 

THC within hair follicles can be detected at levels as low as 0.10 pg/mL and are used to check for long periods of cannabis use ranging from weeks to months. 

In America, CBD products are legally allowed to contain a maximum of 0.3% THC. With these dosages, an average person would have to consume over 2000mg of CBD oil per day to be at risk of an already unlikely “false positive.” At these levels, you’ll have to be drinking CBD oil like water! 

CBD Oil – How Long Does it Stay in my System

cbd, cbd drug test, cbd stay in system

However, the type of CBD drug test isn’t the only thing that you should keep in your mind. There are other, surprising ways in which you can fail a CBD drug test even if you don’t smoke weed or consume products containing THC. 

Compound Accumulation

Since THC accumulates in the fatty tissue of the human body, it’s possible for THC to gather in the body to levels that could be detected by a CBD drug test. 

Current research suggests THC can accumulate and be detected for up to 30 days from consumption depending on the kind of test it is and your body’s composition.

Here’s some of the ways you could potentially fail the drug test:

Wrong concentrations and/or dosages on CBD products

Legally, the majority of CBD products available on the market today are currently not strictly regulated. Quality control for CBD and THC levels within these products remains largely unreliable. Without proper quality control in place, product mislabelling becomes common.

There are also tinctures and extracts, such as Phoenix Tears and RSO that have 1:1 CBD to THC ratios. If you were to consume either of these, the amount of THC in them would definitely raise a flag at your drug test.

To keep yourself safe, a pure CBD isolate or 20:1 parts CBD to THC tincture will keep the alarm from going off on your urinalysis.

Some studies suggest that up to 70% of CBD products purchasable online are mislabelled. One-fifth of products analyzed were found to contain up to 6.4mg/mL of THC, which is more than enough to strongly affect the perception and wellbeing of a healthy adult. 

Cross-contamination

While cannabis compounds like THC and CBD are being extracted from the plant, it’s possible that low levels of THC still present in the plant material and be extracted in levels high enough to fail a CBD drug test. 

Another is simple cross-contamination. If manufacturers decide not to switch out or properly clean the equipment used before, leftover THC could make their way into the final product. 

Unfortunately, current levels of quality control make all of these a real possibility. 

Using CBD and the CBD Drug Test

If you use CBD without being prescribed by a medical professional, then reducing your consumption of CBD products could reduce the chance that you’ll fail due to THC accumulation over time. 

Some of these tests can test for THC that has been in your body for up to 30 days, so take that into consideration when you start limiting your consumption.

That being said, with a product that has the required 0.3% legal limit of THC, it’s better to consume the product immediately before the test rather than over the course of a week or two in the lead up to the test.

Taken in a completely controlled environment, the failure rate of a CBD drug test for consuming a dose of commercial CBD oil is less than 0.2%. In reality, the failure rates range anywhere from 11-23%, likely due to the variation of products available on the market right now. 

Things To Know – Drug Test

If you regularly consume CBD products, then there are some precautions you can take to prevent failing the test. 

  • Ensure you follow government and local laws related to CBD products you are consuming.
  • Do research on the product to ensure it has no history of mislabelling or altering of product composition.
  • Consult a physician before conducting a drug test and if prescribed CBD products consider a signed doctor’s note pre-dating the test, along with disclosing this with your employer in advance in case there are any difficulties. 

How long THC stays in your system depends on a variety of factors including your weight, metabolism and your body fat.

If you’re worried about failing a CBD drug test, then it’s advised that you stop using CBD products 1 to 3 months before the test date.

Enter here for CBD products and how to add them to your daily regiment!