Can you test positive for CBD?
Whether you’re taking it to help you fall asleep or to calm your muscles after exercising, the last thing you need is to test positive for CBD oil on your next drug test. Fortunately, the chances of that happening are very slim.
Read on to take a closer look at CBD, how it works, and why it probably won’t affect your drug test results.
CAN CBD BE DETECTED IN A DRUG CONTROL?
The assumption that CBD can test positive for drugs is quite justified, since it is derived from Cannabis sativa. But the answer to this apparently simple question is a bit complicated.
The general consensus is that CBD supplements shouldn’t affect drug test results, but could under certain circumstances. To understand it better, we are going to see in more detail how both drug tests and CBD work.
HOW DOES DRUG TESTING WORK IN THE WORKPLACE?
Drug tests used by sports companies and authorities fall into two main categories: screening tests and confirmatory tests. Although they are different, they both look for drug metabolites.
Drug testing uses antibodies to detect metabolites of substances consumed in a sample of saliva, urine, or hair.
To begin, the evaluator deposits the antibodies in the receptacle that he will use to perform the test. Once the sample is added, the antibodies will start to bind to the metabolites of the test substance. The evaluator will remove the sample and add a second batch of antibodies to the well. These antibodies contain a color-changing enzyme that will react indicating which metabolites (if any) are present in the sample.
Confirmation tests are much more complex and expensive. They use gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to respectively separate or decompose the molecules present in a sample, making it easy to identify any drug metabolites that are present.
If you are reading this, chances are you already know the following types of drug tests, since they are the most used by companies.
SALIVA AND URINE DRUG SCREENING TESTS
Immunoassays of saliva and urine are the most common drug tests in the workplace.
Urine tests usually look for substances that have been consumed in the last 7-10 days, but some metabolites (such as THC and other cannabinoids) can be detected in urine for up to 30 days in moderate users, and of up to 90 days in large consumers.
Saliva tests detect drugs used within much shorter time frames, ranging from 12-24 hours for alcohol, cannabinoids, and amphetamines, up to 7-10 days for cocaine and some prescription drugs.
DRUG DETECTION TESTS IN BLOOD AND HAIR
Blood and hair drug tests are less common at work, mainly because they are so much more expensive. Blood tests are also more invasive than urine, hair, or saliva tests.
However, blood and hair tests are much more accurate, and can detect substances consumed over a longer period of time. Those of hair, in particular, detect metabolites of up to 90 days before.
IS THERE A CBD SCREENING TEST?
There is no test to detect CBD. All of the above tests look for THC metabolites only (as far as the marijuana plant is concerned). If you are reading this, you probably already know that THC is the main intoxicating compound that is present in cannabis. This is why the narcotics laws of most countries are only concerned with THC, and do not consider CBD as a controlled or illicit substance.
WHAT IS A 5-PANEL DRUG SCREENING TEST?
Five panel drug tests are the most common drug tests in the workplace. These tests use strips of paper with five different colored panels to analyze the metabolites of the following most common recreational drugs:
- Cannabis
- Cocaine
- Amphetamines
- Opioids
- PCP (Fenciclidina)
Sometimes expanded versions of this test are used by companies and sports authorities that also detect metabolites of ethanol, hallucinogens, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, anabolic steroids, and inhalants.
CAN FULL-SPECTRUM CBD OIL TAKE POSITIVE ON A DRUG TEST?
Full-spectrum CBD products contain all of the active compounds found in marijuana and hemp, including small amounts of THC, which, theoretically at least, could test positive for a drug test.
Remember: the legal level of THC allowed in CBD products derived from hemp is usually between 0.1% and 0.3%, depending on the country. Therefore, no quality full-spectrum CBD oil made to these standards should contain enough THC to test positive.
CAN CBD BECOME THC IN THE HUMAN BODY?
There are rumors on the internet that CBD can be converted into THC within the body. Something that probably started in response to two in vitro studies; in the first it was found that, after being mixed with a simulated gastric fluid lacking in pepsin (the main digestive enzyme of the human stomach), CBD was converted into THC at a rate of almost 3%.
The second study was similar; The researchers mixed CBD with gastric fluid (without enzymes) in a test tube for 3 hours. After examining the sample using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, they found that, while about 98% of the CBD had been degraded, the rest was mainly THC.
Although these studies may seem conclusive, in reality they are not. Numerous in vivo studies have attempted to replicate these results and have failed.
In a study by GW Pharmaceuticals, CBD was administered to minipigs at a daily dose of 15mg / kg of body weight (which is an extremely high dose for these animals; most humans consume between 10 and 20mg of CBD per day).
The researchers used minipigs in this trial because their gastrointestinal tract is very similar to that of humans. In fact, many studies looking at the gastrointestinal tract use mini pigs for that reason.
After five days, the researchers studied blood plasma samples from these animals, and there was no trace of THC in them. The failure of the above in vitro studies lies in their analysis of CBD outside the digestive system and the use of simulated gastric juices, which are very different from the digestive fluids of the human body.
CAN CBD TEST POSITIVE IN A DRUG TEST? FINAL TIPS FOR MORE PEACE OF MIND
We cannot over-emphasize the following: if you are buying CBD, make sure to only purchase products made by legal companies in countries with strict quality control standards. As we have seen in this article, the probability that CBD oil jeopardizes the result of a drug test is practically nil, but only if the CBD you consume is of quality and complies with the laws of your country.
When you find a brand of independently tested quality CBD products, you will have no problem getting drug tested.
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