A marijuana high lasts only a few hours (around six if an edible is consumed), but traces of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, remain in the body for much longer than that.
Marijuana can be
detected through both blood and urine tests, which are frequently
conducted for DUIs and employers. If inhaled, marijuana enters the
bloodstream through alveoli in the lungs. If marijuana is eaten, the liver breaks down THC into non-psychoactive marijuana metabolites, which linger in the body and are stored in fatty tissues. Some THC metabolites have a half-life of 20 hours, while others like THC-COOH have a half-life of 13 days, according to High Times.
A 2014 study found that regular marijuana users have traces of marijuana in their urine for about two weeks, according to High Times.
The study also found that a tiny bit of THC can still be present in the
blood of a regular user despite abstaining for several weeks.
Urine tests
measure THC-COOH, since it has a very long half-life in the
body, according to the website for the California branch of
the marijuana advocate organization Norml. Blood tests are used to measure THC levels, and directly correlate with impairment at the time the test is taken.
For infrequent
users, marijuana can be detected in urine for around a week or more, and
blood tests can measure active THC levels for around 24 hours.
For frequent or
heavy marijuana users, their urine tests may show up positive for up to
100 days after their last use, and blood tests will show the presence of
THC for up to one week.
THC-COOH builds up in the body each time marijuana is used, and thus takes even more time to decline, according to Norml.
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