CBD’s relaxing, balancing benefits are hard to pass up, especially for a legal, hemp-derived cannabinoid that has little to no side effects. But there are questions left unanswered that hold consumers back from trying CBD, like how long the effects will last and how long CBD stays in your system after dosing.
We’ve answered those questions below. Plus, we touched on the possibility of CBD showing up on a drug test and some ways to help get CBD out of your system faster. Here’s what you should know:
Table of Contents
How Long Will CBD Effects Last?
How Long Does CBD Oil Last in Your System?
How Long Does CBD Stay in Your Urine?
Will CBD in Your System Cause a Failed Drug Test?
How to Get CBD Out of Your System Faster
Conclusion: How Long Will CBD Stay in the Body?
Where to Buy Legal Delta-8-THC Products
CBD’s effects are non-intoxicating and therefore much milder than the effects associated with THC. Still, CBD offers noticeable effects, like a feeling of balance and relation.
So, how long will the effects from CBD last after each dose?
It depends on a number of different factors, including:
Most of the factors above are unique biological and lifestyle factors that vary greatly from person to person. That means the possibilities for how long CBD effects will last are limitless, but we’ll cover the basics, like how long the effects from different dosing methods last on average.
Inhalation methods, like vaporizers and hemp flower, take effect quickly, usually in only a few minutes. Because of the way CBD is broken down by the lungs, the effects from inhalation methods also wear off quickly, usually in 2-3 hours.
CBD tinctures, or oils meant to be dropped under the tongue, are delivered to the body through a method called “sublingual absorption.” This means that CBD is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth and taken directly into the bloodstream, allowing it to bypass the digestive process. Tinctures usually kick in pretty fast, after about 30 minutes, and the effects can last around 4 hours or more.
The edible ingestion method varies greatly because some edibles are swallowed and processed by digestion, which can take between 1-2 hours to take full effect. Alternately, some CBD edibles are meant to be dissolved in the mouth so that CBD can be absorbed sublingually, which means they will kick in as quickly as tinctures.
Because of the variation of dosing methods, the effects from edibles can last anywhere from 3-6 hours or more. You can read “Do Different Types of CBD Edibles Absorb in Different Ways?” to learn more about the different types of edibles available.
Softgels are similar to digested edibles because they need to reach the liver before they are metabolized. That means they may take over an hour to take effect, but the effects may also last longer than some other methods, around 4 hours.
As you can see, the effects you experience from CBD can last anywhere from 2-6 hours depending on dosing method, tolerance, metabolism, and more. Still, CBD is detectable in your system even after the effects wear off.
So, how long does CBD oil stay in your system?
It varies, and CBD may be detectable in your blood, urine, and hair for different lengths of time. Research is limited in most of these areas, but we have a few studies to help us understand how long CBD is detectable in the blood after dosing.
A 1991 study utilized a high-dose CBD regimen in 14 chronically ill patients and examined the concentration of CBD in the blood after dosing. Patients were given 700 mg of CBD daily for 6 weeks. One week after dosing was stopped, CBD blood levels measured at only 1.5 nanograms per mL, and were recorded as “virtually undetectable” after that.
Take note that 700 mg doses are generally higher than the regular maintenance doses used by consumers. Even after 6 weeks of regular use, CBD was virtually eliminated from the blood after a week.
Another study found that the half life (or the amount of time it takes for one half of the CBD dose to leave the body) of an oral CBD dose ranged from two to five days.
Unfortunately, we don’t have near as much evidence regarding the amount of time CBD stays in your urine.
One 2016 study investigated the presence of CBD in participant’s urine after taking a variety of different CBD products, including tinctures, flower, and capsules. The study found that CBD was detectable in the urine two hours after the dose in all participants regardless of what dosing form they used.
The study only followed one participant after the last day of CBD administration, however, and found that CBD levels were undetectable in the urine after 25 hours.
Due to the small trial size and limited duration of this study, it doesn’t give reliable information regarding how long CBD will stay in your urine when using larger doses or when taking CBD for extended periods of time.
Although CBD is detectable in urine after dosing for some duration of time, CBD alone typically will not cause a failed drug test.
That’s because most drug tests actually test for THC metabolites, a byproduct of THC created by the liver. However, some CBD products do contain THC, albeit in very limited amounts (federally legal products must contain 0.3% Delta-9-THC or less).
This type of CBD, called “full-spectrum CBD,” could potentially cause a failed drug test, especially if used at high doses. Of course, estimates suggest you may need to take between 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD per day for that to happen.
CBD doesn’t usually last in the system for very long, but if you find yourself wondering how to get CBD out of your system fast, there may be some things you can do.
There’s no magic trick for removing CBD or any other cannabinoid from the body. Instead, you need to aid your body’s natural process of removing CBD, which means boosting metabolism, increasing hydration, and naturally detoxing.
We don’t necessarily condone detox pills or diuretics unless recommended by your doctor, although those methods are sometimes used to remove THC from the body.
Here are some natural, safe methods to consider:
The body excretes CBD through urine, and increasing your water intake can help move more “waste” through your body, including CBD. Drinking 2 to 3 liters of water a day can help move CBD through your body faster.
Another way the body excretes CBD is through sweat, so sweating more can help remove CBD from the body faster. There are multiple methods to help you break a sweat (like a dry sauna), but increasing cardio exercise is a safe and effective method.
Again, you can use this method to help “move things along” in a natural way. Increasing fiber helps to pull toxins and leftover cannabinoid metabolites through the body and out the other side and can help you rid your body of CBD even faster.
We don’t have much evidence regarding how long CBD stays in the body, but estimates suggest that CBD is only detectable in trace amounts in blood after a week and in urine after 24 hours. A variety of factors can alter how long CBD sticks around in the body, like your unique metabolism, dosing frequency, and dosage amount.
You can take steps to naturally increase your body’s metabolism and excretion frequency. Either way, the chance of failing a drug test after CBD use is slim because drug tests look for THC metabolites and not CBD.
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