Will CBD Oil Show Up On A Drug Test?
A drug test is taken for many reasons. You will need to take the test before joining a military or police service or professional sporting activities. Workplace drug testing is also necessary for some sectors.
The drug test is carried out to determine if an individual has traces of illicit drugs in their system and if they are fit for certain positions.
A drug test could be done to identify tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC.
But what about CBD oil?
Many people are worried that CBD oil will pop up on their test results because it is a marijuana derivative. But will CBD oil show in a drug test?
Keep reading, and you’ll find out!
Table of Contents
What Is CBD?
The Marijuana plant is one of the most versatile plants in the world. It can be used for both medicinal, recreational, and industrial purposes. CBD oil is one of many extracts that can be gotten from cannabis plants.
According to scientific research, more than 400 chemical compounds can be found in the plant. Out of these 400+ compounds, 80 of them are biologically active compounds.
The most important biologically active compounds you can find in the cannabis plant are the cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are unique because they can only be found in the cannabis plant, and nowhere else on Earth.
Among all the cannabinoids, the most popular are THC, CBD, Cannabigerol (CBG), Cannabichromene (CBC), and Cannabinol (CBN).
In the Cannabis plant, THC is the main psychoactive compound. This is what gets the user “high” after consumption. CBD, on the other hand, is more sought for its potential healing abilities.
CBD oil ( full-spectrum and CBD isolate) also has psychoactive abilities, which is why it can be used to treat mental illnesses. However, it is non-intoxicating and is more renowned for its medicinal uses rather than recreational function.
There are many CBD derived products from hemp plants in the market. And you can expect more now that cannabis is becoming legal in more states and countries.
However, the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that any pore than 0.3 THC product s illegal. These include any CBD-derived product that contains a THC percentage higher than 0.3.
Researchers are not totally sure how CBD oil exerts its effects, but they believe that either CBD boosts endocannabinoid levels or binds to serotonin receptors.
In case you didn’t know, serotonin is the hormone responsible good mood, happiness, and anxiety regulation in the body.
In some human and animal studies, CBD oil has shown its therapeutic potential in the following areas.
- Pain relief
- Reduction of inflammation
- Psychosis control
- Anxiety control
- Neuroprotection
- Anti-nausea
You might also interested in
Will CBD Show Up On A Drug Use Test?
You may be wondering if CBD oil will show up in a drug test.
The answer to this question is yes.
But the thing is, a regular drug test doesn’t screen for CBD oil, being that it is a legal substance.
However, CBD oil could contain quantities of THC that surpass the 0.3% legal levels. Hence, causing the person to fail the drug test.
CBD oil is derived from hemp, which is a type of cannabis with low THC levels. Many manufacturers of hemp-derived CBD products claim to be THC free, but you can’t take most of them for their word because there may have been some contamination during the manufacturing process.
There are other instances where the manufacturer’s labeling may be inaccurate or incomplete.
If a person ingests such CBD oil (with high THC levels), they are very likely to fail a drug test.
Is CBD Oil legal?
Yes, CBD oil is legal, but it wasn’t always so.
At one point, hemp-derived CBD products besides the FDA-approved epilepsy drug Epidolex were illegal. In fact, it was just as illegal as heroin or cocaine, going by Federal drug laws of course.
President Donald Trump signed the Farm Bill into law in 2018, and this legalized hemp-derived CBD products that contain 0.3 THC or less.
CBD oil derived directly from marijuana plants is still illegal up to the date of writing this article. This is because marijuana is still considered a Schedule 1 drug.
The TSA recently announced that passengers would be allowed to fly with hemp products. These include CBD products manufactured under the existing drug laws.
You need to know, though, CBD products are not yet approved in every state. But with its growing popularity, that would change sooner than later.
To be on the legal side of things, you should check your state laws to be sure. Although enforcement on CBD law infringement is usually aimed at those that manufacture and distribute, not the customer.
Extend reading
Does A Drug Test Screen For CBD Oil?
As we have mentioned before, a drug test does not screen for CBD. This is because hemp-derived products that contain 0.3 THC or less are considered legal.
However, traces of THC can be found in CBD as a result of the manufacturing process.
How Do Drug Tests For Cannabis Work?
Urine drug tests usually target the following –
• amphetamines
• benzodiazepines
• Alcohol
• Cocaine
• Opiates
• Cannabis
Usually, drug testing is an immunoassay drug testing process that uses antibodies to cling onto THC metabolites.
This test has been used to identify THC in individuals for many years up to this day.
In a case where the antibodies identify levels of THC, they will return a signal that confirms the test as a positive drug test.
It is common practice for drug concentration levels for urine to be set during drug screening. If, after the screen, it is found that the trace amounts of THC are below the mark, then the result would be “negative.”
In the case of a positive drug test result, a person can take other drug screenings to be certain the test is accurate.
Some Confirmatory screenings to take are:
• Gas chromatography
• Mass spectroscopy
• High-performance liquid chromatography
Each of these screenings has been used to accurately detect trace amounts of THC metabolites.
The doctors in charge need to take special care when carrying out and analyzing cannabis drug screenings. This is because false-positive and false-negative results can occur.
If you don’t expect a positive test result but you get one, you should speak to your doctor. This is called medical advice diagnosis.
Cannabis can be detected in a person via urine testing 3 days after a single-use. If you have used it heavily, it can be detected as much as 30 days after use.
THC is soluble and can be stored in body fat. But as fat is burned through daily activities, the THC will be slowly released from the body. The kidneys help remove the THC as well as its metabolites.
Researchers have proposed using saliva and breath testing to detect Cannabis (THC) in other situations outside the lab.
This could be useful for traffic police, who have to keep an eye out for people driving under intoxication. However, this technology is quite new and still in its developmental stages.
Can You Fail A Drug Test From CBD?
A person can technically fail a drug test if they had previously ingested a CBD product that contains THC.
CBD products are derived from either hemp or cannabis, and they both contain all known cannabinoids, THC inclusive.
In a 2019 study involving 67 CBD food products, scientists discovered that 25% of the samples had more than 2.5 mg of THC. This is more than the stipulated per-day-dose which is linked to the common intoxicating side effects.
It is common for manufacturers to claim their CBD products are THC-free, but this is not always the case.
In some instances, the products may not have been tested by a third party. Other cases may see the product being wrongly labeled and leading the consumer to believe they are taking the required THC dose, whereas they aren’t.
A false-positive result can occur after a cannabis urine test if one or more of the drugs listed below are being used.
• Dronabinol
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), e.g., Sulindac, Ibuprofen, Naproxen,
• Pantoprazole
• Efavirenz
A recent study revealed that people who have been exposed to passive cannabis smoke might test positive via a saliva cannabis test.
During the study, a group of volunteers made up of people who don’t smoke marijuana were seated in a room with 5 individuals who smoked a cannabis cigarette each.
They spent several hours in the room, and the cannabis-free volunteers inhaled the smoke, which led to the detection of THC in their saliva.
Although the THC levels in their saliva began to drop as they spent more time in the room.
Those who carried out the research cannot say for sure if the results would be the same if the cannabis-free individuals inhaled marijuana smoke outside of the testing room.
In another study, tests were carried out to see if second-hand marijuana smoke could lead to a “positive” result after a urine drug screen.
80 urine samples were collected 24 hours after the cannabis-free volunteers were exposed to second-hand cannabis smoke. Out of the 80 samples collected, only two came back as positive after the tests.
Interestingly, none of the samples had more THC than the federal government legal limits.
CBD Vs. THC: Drug Testing
Both CBD and THC are stored in body fat, and they can appear in drug tests even after weeks of consumption.
It isn’t all drug tests that can pick up CBD traces; however, there are CBD-specific tests available.
It is common for drug tests to screen for THC-related chemicals, and it can be easily found after each screening.
Also, hemp can produce low levels of THC in addition to CBD. This means a test could come out positive for THC, even if you haven’t consumed it.
You need to know that not all products that are labeled THC-free actually are.
If you’re planning a drug test in the future, it is advised you stay away from CBD or THC-derived products.
How Can I Avoid Being Tested Positive For THC?
THC is one of the major cannabinoids found in marijuana. If you smoke it once, a small amount of THC can be found in your system up to 3 days later.
However, if you are heavy on cannabis use, higher THC levels can be traced in your system up to one month (30 days) after last use.
If you’re not into cannabis use and are strictly on CBD, you may also test positive for THC. This is because some CBD derived products contain a small amount of THC.
This may be when there’s an accidental extraction during the product’s manufacturing process or false advertising from the manufacturers themselves.
If you must buy a CBD product, make sure you are buying from a trusted and reputable source. A pure CBD product manufacturer will not advertise falsely on their product’s label, and the product would contain less than 03 THC.
Unfortunately, the Food And Drug Administration does not regulate the sale of CBD products, so it’s up to you to pick the right one.
You can confirm a CBD product’s THC-free status from a third party. Upon confirmation, the third party will issue the CBD product a Certificate Of Analysis (COA).
Another step to improve your chances of having a negative workplace drug test result is to stay away from marijuana smokers.
Tests have shown that THC can be found in second-hand smoke inhaled by a non-smoker, although in small amounts. Nonetheless, it would be best if you stayed away from it to improve your chances.
Once you are sure that you are consuming pure CBD and staying away from second-hand marijuana smoke, your test screens should come out THC-negative.
Also, consult with your doctor for medical advice before you take CBD.
Conclusion
Hopefully, your question has been answered.
Yes, CBD can show up on drug tests, but most drug tests aren’t screening for CBD. To detect CBD in a person, there are more specific tests available.
The major reason why most screens do not look for traces of CBD is that the substance is not intoxicating. This is unlike THC, which is a fellow cannabinoid. CBD is also not an illegal substance, so most tests pay no mind to it.
This is not to say your drug test results will come out negative if you strictly use CBD products. Some of these products may contain a trace amount of THC and reflect on your drug test results.
Unfortunately, improper labeling is one of the main reasons why people accidentally consume CBD products containing THC.
There are other compounds that could disrupt a urine drug screen result and produce a false-positive or false-negative outcome.
Marijuana use would mean traces of THC in your system and your results would come back positive.
In a case where you have a chronic ailment, and you’re considering CBD, first consult with your doctor to advise diagnosis or treatment.
If you’d like to test THC-negative, be sure to buy CBD products from reliable sources only.
You might also interested in
