Edibles make up about 10% of total cannabis sales in the U.S., and gummies make up about three-fourths of the edibles sold. This adds up to about a billion dollars in gummy sales per year across the country.
Gummies come in a variety of flavors with a variety of active ingredients. Cannabis gummies, the ones most likely to affect a drug test, are generally infused with THC or CBD. They’re bit easier to dose than smoking and can give you a discreet and convenient way to consume cannabis for both recreational and therapeutic purposes.
In this article, we hope to help you understand how to better navigate situations where drug testing might be a concern and explore some factors that influence gummies’ impact on drug tests. Let’s take a moment to chew on a few important gummy facts and then digest the details of how long their active ingredients might stay in your system before your next drug test.
Table of Contents
Understanding Gummies and Their Ingredients
1. What Are Gummies?
Gummies are chewy, candy-like treats that have gained popularity as a simple, handy way to consume various supplements and substances. You can find THC gummies for recreation, CBD gummies for relaxation and stress relief, and even gummies containing vitamins and other health supplements. Besides their ease of use and more manageable dosing, gummies offer a palatable alternative to traditional pills, tinctures, or inhalation.
2. Active Ingredients
Commonly referred to simply as THC, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis and the main gummy ingredient that could show up on a drug test. It interacts with your brain’s cannabinoid receptors to produce the famous cannabis high that includes effects like euphoria, altered sensory perception, and relaxation. It’s also known to alleviate pain, stimulate appetite, and reduce nausea.
When you consume THC orally in a gummy or other ingestible, it gets metabolized by your liver into 11-hydroxy THC, a metabolite that’s often more potent and durable than the original THC. It can impact you in different ways depending on the dose you consume and your individual tolerance, so it’s important to be mindful of your intake.
Another active ingredient in some gummies that could be found by a drug test is cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis. This one doesn’t make you high, but it does have many celebrated therapeutic properties, including reduced anxiety, improved sleep, and relief from chronic pain. CBD gummies are often used for their calming effects and potential health benefits without the intoxication of THC.
Here are a few other active ingredients you may find in gummies:
- Delta-8 THC is a cannabinoid similar to THC but with milder psychoactive effects.
- THC-O is a synthetic cannabinoid reported to be more potent than THC.
- Cannabinol (CBN) is another cannabinoid often associated with sedative effects.
- Cannabigerol (CBG) is another non-psychoactive cannabinoid that may have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and other beneficial effects.
Metabolism of Gummies in Your Body
1. Ingestion and Absorption
When you consume gummies, they travel through your digestive system where they get broken down by your stomach acids and enzymes. The active ingredients get absorbed into your bloodstream through the lining of your stomach and intestines and then travel to your liver.
For cannabis gummies, your liver metabolizes the delta-9 THC into derivatives called metabolites, like 11-hydroxy THC and THC-COOH, that can more easily cross your blood-brain barrier and bind with your cannabinoid receptors. These metabolites then get released back into your bloodstream. You usually won’t start feeling gummies’ effects until after this digestive process, which can take around two hours.
THC and its metabolites are lipid-soluble. This means they bind to fats and oils in your body, which prolongs their presence. As your blood circulates, these metabolites gradually accumulate in fat cells throughout your body. Your body can only process THC at a set rate, and any excess will stay in your fat cells as they wait in the processing cue. Eventually, your body will metabolize and excrete these substances through urine and feces.
2. Factors Affecting Metabolism
Here are a few factors that influence how THC, CBD, and their metabolites get processed and stored in your body:
- More potent gummies with higher doses can lead to more THC getting absorbed and then stored for longer periods.
- Individual metabolism rates vary, and genetic or physiological differences can make you metabolize THC faster or slower.
- Regular users accumulate more THC in their fat cells over time, prolonging its presence in their bodies.
- Higher body fat can lead to more THC storage.
- Good hydration supports your body’s ability to excrete metabolites more efficiently.
Detection Times for Drug Tests
1. Types of Drug Tests
Here are some of the most common types of drug tests:
- Urine tests are the most common form of drug testing. They’re simple to use and effective at providing a measure of recent drug consumption, since around 20% of THC metabolites end up in your urine.
- Blood tests can detect the active presence of substances like THC in your bloodstream within minutes of use, whereas the metabolites detected by urine tests take three or four hours to appear. Blood tests aren’t as common as urine tests because they’re more invasive and because THC lingers longer in urine than blood.
- Saliva tests are another non-invasive drug detection method. THC from a gummy can be detectable in your saliva within about 30 minutes of consumption. Saliva tests are convenient and quick but are less effective for detecting long-term drug use.
- Hair tests provide an excellent long-term history of drug use but aren’t very good at detecting recent use. You might not realize cannabis can get into your hair if you eat gummies instead of smoking, but gummy THC metabolites circulating in your bloodstream also get delivered to your hair follicles and become incorporated into your hair as the shafts grow from their roots. This is a slow process, and THC from a gummy generally won’t show up in a hair test until about seven to 10 days after you eat it. Once the metabolites get into your hair, though, they’ll remain there until you cut it.
2. THC Detection Times
How long can THC be detected in your system by different kinds of drug tests?
- Urine Tests: THC’s detectable presence in urine depends on factors like your frequency of use and individual metabolism. In most light users, THC will be detectable by a urine test from around three to seven days. If you’ve consumed cannabis gummies at least once per day for a long period, you may find THC detectable for up to 30 days.
- Blood Tests: THC is generally detectable in blood for one to seven days, which can vary according to the amount you consume and your metabolic rate.
- Saliva Tests: These effectively identify recent use but have a shorter detection window of only about one to three days.
- Hair Tests: While THC metabolites remain in your hair indefinitely, hair tests usually only analyze a standard hair sample corresponding to approximately the last 90 days. If you consumed cannabis gummies more than 90 days ago, the metabolites will probably not show up in your recent hair growth.
| Test Type | Detection Window | Factors Influencing Detection |
|---|---|---|
| Urine Tests | 3-7 days (light users), up to 30 days (heavy users) | Frequency of use, metabolism |
| Blood Tests | 1-7 days | Amount consumed, metabolism |
| Saliva Tests | 1-3 days | Recent use |
| Hair Tests | Up to 90 days (based on hair sample length) | Time since last use, length of hair sample |
3. CBD Detection Times
Most standard cannabis drug tests used by employers or law enforcement only look for THC. If you’ve consumed pure CBD, it shouldn’t show up. However, many CBD products still contain trace elements of THC, and even small amounts can activate drug tests.
There are also specialized tests that can detect CBD in biological samples, although these are rare outside of specialized labs. If you have to take one of these, CBD should be detectable in your urine and hair at only slightly lower time periods than THC. However, CBD is hard to find with a blood test and almost impossible with a saliva test.
Factors Influencing Detection Times
A few factors that can influence how long THC stays in your system include:
- Frequency of Use: Occasional users may clear THC from their system within a few days. Regular users with accumulated THC can trigger certain drug tests for up to several months.
- Dosage and Potency: Higher doses and more potent gummies introduce greater amounts of THC into your body, which can prolong the time it takes to metabolize and eliminate it, extending your detection period.
- Individual Differences: Your age, weight, metabolism, and overall health play a crucial role in how your body processes and clears THC. If you’re younger or have a faster metabolism or lower body fat, you may eliminate THC quicker than if you’re older or have a slower metabolism or higher body fat.
Implications for Drug Testing
1. Workplace Drug Testing
Workplace drug testing often includes urine, blood, saliva, or hair tests to make sure employees aren’t impaired while on the job and to keep the workplace as safe and productive as possible. Workplace drug policies often focus on whether employees are currently under the influence or have used drugs within a timeframe that could affect their current performance and safety.
2. Legal and Medical Considerations
Detection times for cannabis gummies can differ between medical and recreational use, largely due to usage patterns and dosage. Medical users often consume less THC than recreational users, but frequent use can still result in prolonged detection regardless of the reason.
Legal implications can vary from place to place. Some jurisdictions have laws that protect medical users and limit how drug tests can be used against them, but most places still allow employers to enforce drug-free workplace policies.
3. Strategies for Passing a Drug Test
There’s no guaranteed way to rapidly speed up THC clearance. Time remains the most critical factor in passing a drug test. However, here are a few natural detox methods that can help keep your metabolism running at peak performance:
- Exercise regularly.
- Stay hydrated to help flush metabolites through your urine.
- Consume fiber to improve digestion and promote bowel movements.
You can also find commercial detox products that claim to help speed up THC elimination. Some people find success with these, but they may not work for everyone. Here are a few kinds you can try:
- Detox supplements often contain a mix of vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts designed to support your body’s natural metabolic process.
- Detox programs often combine capsules, detox drinks, and dietary fiber to try to boost your body’s natural cleansing from multiple angles.
- The Macujo Method uses specialized shampoos to try to open your hair cuticles and flush out the cannabis metabolites. This involves a series of treatments that can be quite costly, although it has a reported success rate of around 90%.
Conclusion
The length of time gummies stay in your system depends on several factors. Generally, THC from gummies can be detected in urine for about a month, in blood for about a week, in saliva for a few days, and in hair for around three months. These durations can be influenced by factors like the frequency of use, dosage, and your individual metabolism, body fat, and hydration level.
Familiarizing yourself with these detection variables can help you make more informed and more responsible choices about your cannabis use. If you’re facing an upcoming drug test, use this information and advice to help you take the necessary proactive steps and make sure you’re prepared and fully understand the implications of your consumption habits.
If you’re interested in learning more or need expert advice or help, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team is ready to provide you with the information and support you need.
FAQ
How long do gummies stay in your system for Urine Test?
References
- https://flowhub.com/learn/top-selling-cannabis-products
- https://www.headset.io/industry-reports/cannabis-edibles-an-analysis-of-category-trends-performance
- https://mjbizdaily.com/led-by-gummies-edibles-keep-pace-with-growth-of-overall-us-marijuana-market/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378434799002492
Published on: 2024-08-15
Updated on: 2024-08-27
