Friday September 18, 2015

By PotGuide.com Staff

Marijuana can be good for a lot of things, but helping you pass a drug test isn’t one of them.  Many people ask us how to flush marijuana out of your system.  Well, it starts with a bit of knowledge and a marijuana detox. 

How can I clean weed out of my system?  User from San Jose, CA

There are many reasons why people want to ‘flush’ their system of marijuana.  The most common situation is a drug test for employment purposes. 

Workplace drug tests typically involve urinalysis (testing your pee) for metabolites.  Metabolites are a byproduct of a substance after it has been processed by your body.  When you consume marijuana, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels in your blood stream will immediately increase.  As your body cleanses the THC out of your blood stream, metabolites are left behind. 

Note that THC, the cannabinoid known for its psychoactive effects, is responsible for getting you “high.”  Having said this, both THC and the non-psychoactive metabolite, THC-COOH, will remain in your body’s fat tissue for varying lengths of time depending on a variety of factors. 

To figure out if you are ‘clean’ for a drug test and how to get weed out of your system, you need to be able to determine the following:

The amount of THC and its metabolites in your system

The type of test you’ll be required to take

The testing levels for your drug screen

How Much THC is in My Body? 

There are a handful of factors that will help you determine how much THC and THC-COOH are in your body after any length of time, post-consumption. 

How often you consume: When determining how much THC is in your system, you must take the frequency of consumption into consideration, first and foremost.  Do you smoke once a month, once a week, everyday?  When you do smoke, are you only taking one hit or enjoying an entire joint (or two)?  Obviously, the more frequently you use (and the actual amount you consume), the more THC and THC-COOH will accrue in the fatty tissue throughout your body. 

Total body fat: As we just mentioned, THC and THC-COOH store itself in fat cells, no matter how often or little you use.  As a result, the more body fat you have, the more THC and its metabolites will be inevitably stored. 

Metabolism & overall health: It makes sense that the healthier you are, the better off you’ll be (in all aspects in life).  When it comes to THC and its metabolites, they have less of a chance of storing themselves in your body fat, if there isn’t a lot of body fat in the first place!  Having said this, everyone has varying metabolisms that break down THC at different rates.  Although exercise can potentially push THC back into your blood stream at a faster rate, this doesn’t mean that you should throw away healthy habits into the wind.  Simply maintain a healthy lifestyle and don’t work out too much before a test. 

What you’re consuming: Depending on what you consume (flower vs. concentrates) and even the quality of what you consume (top shelf flower vs. schwag) will greatly effect how much THC and THC-COOH are released into your body. 

How Long Does THC Stay in My Body? 

Typically speaking, psychoactive THC cannabinoids can be found in the system for 1-2 days after consumption for very infrequent users, while those who consume everyday can expect it to remain in your body for longer. 

The half-life of THC metabolites is 7 days.  Meaning every 7 days, the amount in your body will decrease by 50%. 

With this number in mind, most people can assume their body will be clean of THC metabolites within 3-4 weeks -- more or less depending on frequency, body weight and amount consumed. 

THC is fat soluble and as a result, it gets stored in your fatty lipid tissue.  Because of this, your fat cells will secrete THC metabolites into your bloodstream at a constant rate.  As a result, many different cleansing techniques are ineffective, as your fat cells will continue to release THC metabolites into your system over time. 

Types of Drug Tests

Similar to the variety of factors that can define how much THC is in your system, there are a number of ways your (future) employer can test you.  They include urine, blood and hair. 

Urinalysis (UA) is the most common type of drug test.  It’s used in many businesses because it’s less expensive than other modes of testing and is fairly accurate.  Note that urine drug tests detect THC-COOH (metabolized THC), versus THC itself. 

is the most common type of drug test.  It’s used in many businesses because it’s less expensive than other modes of testing and is fairly accurate.  Note that urine drug tests detect THC-COOH (metabolized THC), versus THC itself.  Blood Test identifies THC in your bloodstream.  Unlike urinalysis, a blood test will show impairment.  For those who rarely consume, THC might not be measurable several hours afterwards, however for those who use everyday, THC could remain in your bloodstream for a much longer period of time. 

identifies THC in your bloodstream.  Unlike urinalysis, a blood test will show impairment.  For those who rarely consume, THC might not be measurable several hours afterwards, however for those who use everyday, THC could remain in your bloodstream for a much longer period of time.  Hair Test is a less common form of testing, however does take place in some work places.  Because it measures THC-COOH remainders in the hair follicle over the past several months, it’s often difficult to get around this one.  Don't worry though, you do have options available which we address below. 

How Do I Pass a Drug Test? 

The best way to pass any drug test is to not consume at all.  Having said that, don’t worry if it’s “too late.”  There are ways to mask THC in your system, so do your best to follow our tips below – and think about a backup plan in case you might need the extra help. 

Typically, random drug tests are delivered with short notice, which means you won't have as much time as you'd like to prepare for a drug test.  It may sound silly, but as soon as you know that you're going to have to take a marijuana drug test, stop consuming cannabis in any form!  Whether you're a heavy user or casual user, do yourself a favor and stop all cannabis consumption. 

Note that the longer you have before your drug test, the better your chances will be of actually passing. 

It's important to realize that marijuana cannot be flushed out of your system using cranberry juice, niacin, vinegar, large amounts of water, creatine pills, ginger root tea, surejell, bleach, etc.  In fact, most of these products continue to remain top of mind due to incorrect drug testing myths but they won't actually help you pass modern drug testing techniques. 

Instead, here are three ways to pass a drug test:

Detox, naturally.  Forget detox pills, detox programs or detox kits!  A normal healthy, in shape person can rid their body of toxins in 4-6 weeks with a great diet, water and plenty of exercise.  Obviously, those with a fast metabolism, lower water retention and overall low BMI will be able to do this faster.  Detox in 3-6 days, with detoxification products.  If you're on a tight time frame, then you probably just received notice about a marijuana drug test and need answers now.  Thankfully, there are many detoxification products available (which we cover below) to help your body rid itself of harmful toxins in approximately a week.  They're successful by leveraging herbal supplements to cleanse your body.  Be sure to use a home drug test kit after to ensure you're fully clean of THC.  Detox in 24 hours, with same day cleansers.  If you're truly panicking a day or two before your test, it might be worth your while to try a same day cleanser from a company like TestClear.com (available online).  Such products temporarily target the urinary tract to flush metabolites to give you a brief period for which to give a clean urine sample, meaning you could technically pass a drug test in 24 hours. 

Tips to Pass a Urine Drug Test:

As we mentioned, piss tests are more common than a hair drug test.  To pass a marijuana urine test, also known as a urinalysis test, you don’t need to be 100% free of THC metabolites.  Rather, you need to have levels below the threshold for the test.  Typically the threshold is 50 ng/mL, which is higher than you may think.  As long as you register under this value, your test result will be negative. 

The primary method of passing a urine drug test is to dilute your urine enough where it will be below the 50 ng/mL threshold.  It’s a simple as that, but with a hitch.  Drug testing labs are on the lookout for diluted urine samples.  So in order to be an effective technique, you need not only dilute your urine, but to mask the fact that your urine is diluted. 

Water There is no reason to start drinking excessive amounts of water weeks or days before your test.  It’s a waste of time as it only temporarily dilutes your urine.  Your best bet is to drink 2-3 liters throughout the day before your test, and then around 1-2 liters several hours before your test.  Don’t drink too much water though, as it can be dangerous.  Start with 2 liters max and be sure to know your limits.  After drinking this much water, your pee will be colorless and have low levels of creatinine.  These are both red flags for any testing lab to indicate diluted urine, so there are some additional steps you need to take.  Vitamin B You’ll need to make your pee yellow, and the best way to do this is by using vitamin B. Vitamin B-2 or B-12 seem to be the most effective for this purpose, so stop by your local drug store and take 50-100mg several hours before your test.  Creatinine Creatinine is a chemical waste product produced by muscle metabolism.  Creatinine is naturally occurring in the human body and is one method labs use to determine if your urine is diluted.  It has a half-life of three hours, so no reason to start taking it more than a day or so before your test.  You can buy creatine supplements from almost any health food store.  Creatine then gets broken down into creatinine by your body and is flushed out in your urine.  You should take an above-average dose several hours before your test. 

Alternative Ways to Pass Your Urine Test

Detox Drinks XXtra Clean Cleansing Drink XXtra Clean Cleansing Drink There are many so called ‘detox drinks’ on the market.  In reality, these detox drink use the same technique we have addressed above, which is dilution.  They also contain creatine as well as vitamin B to mask the fact your urine is diluted.  While they are more expensive than buying creatine and vitamin B a la carte, detox drinks can make sense for a convenience factor, as well as ensuring you are ingesting the correct amounts of vitamin B and creatine before your test.  If you're looking to order a detox drink online, TestClear.com is a reputable vendor that offers a variety of detox products.  They also have a handy directory of drug testing articles to help you pick the best product to beat your test!  Avoid Exercise Exercise will break down your fat cells, which will release any THC metabolites into your system.  As a result, you should not exercise for at least 24 hours before your test.  Failing to do so can cause a spike in THC metabolite levels in the blood.  If you have a couple weeks before your test, it does make sense to exercise to break down those fat cells and release the THC metabolites, but make sure you stop a couple days before your test.  Don’t Give the Beginning or End of Your Urine Stream When peeing into a cup, the first and last parts of your urine stream contains the highest amount of metabolites.  As a result, you want to provide some urine from the ‘middle’ of your pee stream.  Simply start urinating in the toilet, stop and provide a sample in the cup, and then finish as normal.  This is a very important step, so don’t forget to do it!  Also, be aware that early morning urine will typically contain the highest level of toxic metabolites, so never give morning urine.  Synthetic Urine If you are a heavy consumer or have a high fat level in your body, then dilution may not be an effective method for beating your test.  In this case, another option is substitution with synthetic or powdered urine.  In other words, substituting your urine with either fake urine, which is commercially available, or with the real urine of somebody who is a non-user.  The advantage of substitution over other techniques is that you know the sample you provide to the lab will be clean.  The disadvantage is you need to conceal the clean urine when entering the testing facility, and then add it to your sample cup during the testing process without detection.  Now if you’re doing a pre-employment drug screen, they almost never watch you when you pee in the cup.  They usually will provide you with a private bathroom, during which you can pee in the toilet (sometimes they listen outside the door to determine if you actually urinated), then pour the synthetic/clean urine into the sample cup.  Be aware that labs take the temperature of your urine right after you submit your sample, so you’ll need to ensure that it registers close to normal body temperature otherwise it can be flagged.  Usually you can microwave the urine to a temp of 100 fahrenheit, then rubber band a hand warmer around the sample to keep it warm until testing time.  Buy Powdered Urine Here

Tips to Pass a Hair Follicle Test:

Hair follicle testing is another form of detecting cannabis or other drugs within a person’s system.  Generally known as the most rigorous and accurate of tests, hair follicle drug tests are much more challenging to cheat than a urine analysis.  Additionally, the purpose of hair testing differs from urine tests.  While urine tests seek to identify a single use of a drug, hair tests aim to identify chronic use over time. 

Hair tests may be performed on head or body hairs and can analyze previous use for much longer than urine tests.  Head hairs can pick up cannabis for up to 90 days, while body hairs can go back up to a full year.  If you shave your body from head to toe, a hair test is impossible to conduct, however, it may seem a bit suspicious to the person administering the test. 

Even though hair tests are more difficult to fool than urine tests, there are still ways to beat the system.  Companies like TestClear offer many shampoos and at-home testing kits for those looking to pass a hair test.  Using these products don’t guarantee a negative test result, but many people have had success so it's definitely worth a try. 

How to Detox, Naturally:

Think cranberry juice, niacin, Golden Seal or vinegar will help you detox completely?  Not a chance.  The body is a very complicated system, so good habits and time will ultimately help lower your toxin levels, increase your metabolism and overall health.  If you're curious if you'll pass your test or not, grab a home test kit to make sure you get the drug test result that you want! 

Here are a few great tips:

Simply don't consume marijuana.  As we discussed earlier, this is the easiest way to keep THC out of your system.  No matter how much you love weed, it's a habit you'll have to break to become completely detoxified.  Exercise.  Although it takes a lot of motivation to make it to the gym or go on a run, it's one of your best bets to rid your body of any toxins and ultimately pass a drug test.  Those with higher levels of body fat or BMI will store THC in their fat cells for longer, making it more difficult to detox.  As a result, combine strength conditioning with cardio (swimming, running, biking, etc.).  Drink water.  Although many people will tell you drink a lot of water, it's important not to over do it.  Definitely drink enough to stay hydrated (6-8 8oz glasses a day) and help flush your body.  Avoid bad food and red meat.  Although pizza, fries, ice cream and other junk food sound and taste delicious, they are extremely high in sodium and sugar, resulting in an increase in water retention in your body and a slower metabolism.  When trying to rid your body of marijuana, stick to healthy, clean foods like fruits, vegetables and lean meat selections.  Drink tea and lemon juice.  Needless to say, tea is a natural detoxing agent.  From green tea to jasmine, to black tea to white tea, be sure to drink a few cups a day to get incredible amounts of antioxidants, electrolytes and even vitamin c. All of these varieties will increase your metabolism and help you detox your body from marijuana, naturally.  Eat vegetables and fiber. 

Final Thoughts

Being subjected to a drug test after cannabis consumption (especially if you're a daily smoker) is a very stressful experience that can cause anxiety and worse.  Need to get weed out of your system fast?  Remember that by using these tips you can drastically improve your chances of passing.  We hear from people all the time thanking us for our tips, and we’ve successfully used them ourselves at one point or another. 

Good luck and let us know how it goes!