| Marijuana is the most commonly used and tested for drug in the United States and several other countries. Depending on the amount of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) pot contains, it can have different effects on the smoker.
When you ask the question "How long does pot remain in the body?", you need to consider the fact that there is no clear-cut answer to this question. THC can stay in your body for as long as 3 to 90 days after smoking or being ingested orally. There are many criteria determining for how much time drug toxins remain in the system, such as the analytical method used, your body weight, metabolism, fluid taken, the degree of exposure to the drug, etc.
The speed at which pot leaves your system depends both on the speed of your metabolic process as well as on the half life of THC. THC is estimated to have a half life that ranges from 1-10 days. It is almost impossible to determine what that half-life is, which means that it is very difficult to use it to estimate how long it will take for all of the THC to leave your body.
The type of test carried out can also have an impact on whether or not marijuana is detected. While urine tests are the most widespread, they are also the least precise. Marijuana can still be detected in a urine test for as long as a month after the last administration. If you smoke it from time to time, it will stay in your body for up to 10 days. If you smoke pot regularly, it will stay in your body for as long as 45 days, and if you smoke pot constantly, it can stay in the body for as long as 90 days.
Blood sample are much more reliable, though more costly. As THC is accumulated in the fat cells of the major organs, the chemical is gradually released over time into the bloodstream, where it eventually passes through the liver, and then is eliminated.
And finally, your hair can be tested. Hair "keeps a record" of everything your system has been through when that hair was growing. Still, hair tests very costly and seldom done by employers. |
