What Test Can Be Used To See If I?ve Used Cannabis?

2009.04.03

In the not too distant past, it used to be that cannabis users only had to be concerned about cannabis testing when they were going for a medical. Now more and more drug testing is becoming evident in the work place. In many cases, it’s a mandatory test before being hired on by a company and a positive result could very well mean not getting the job.

There have been arguments in the past in respect to the possibility of THC getting into the blood stream secondhand. Much like second hand smoke affects the body. The only problem with this concept is the outlook of prospective employers. It is still considered by many as a criminal act. Therefore, a prospective employee who has THC in their system means they hang around with those that use the pot. In some cases, this is viewed almost as bad as using the weed.

There is a great deal of speculation of just how long it takes for THC to entirely leave the body. It’s most likely that it varies from person to person because of their individual blood chemistry and their bodies ability to rid itself of toxins.

Finding a THC level in the body doesn’t necessarily mean that the individual just smoked a joint. It depends on how often a person uses pot, how long they have used and plus how strong is the marijuana that they normally use. THC content varies in pot varies depending on several factors as well.

It has been estimated that it can take anywhere from 10 days to 3 months to completely rid the body of the weed. Most individuals are aware that the test used for determining THC in the body consists of blood or urine tests. What many of them don’t realize is it can also be determined through saliva, hair and perspiration.

Most companies that have mandatory truck driving with go with the urine testing. It is the easiest and least expensive. They provide fast results as well as being accurate. It must be remembered that urine drug testing is not just restricted to the use of hash. Several other drugs can be detected as well.

Those that do know about hair testing for drugs often are under the misconception that it is not very accurate. This is a fallacy as it has been proven that the hair will show the most miniscule amount of THC. In addition it can be used up to the normal three month period and still be precise.

Probably the second choice of prospective employers is the saliva drug test. This particular test is not as broad spectrum as the urinalysis as it can only detect 6types of drugs as opposed to ten.

A prospective employee must remember that even if they past the drug test there are other tell tale signs of possible marijuana use. For example carrying rolling papers, or a hash pipe or even a bubble bag is enough to raise the suspicions of the employer.

The timing is a little more accurate with the saliva test. It will show the use up to three days, which puts a time frame of when it was last used. The cannabis residues do not stay in the saliva as long as they do in the urine.