As CBD continues to rise in popularity, more and more people are beginning to try CBD for its potential health benefits. That said, people sometimes want to know “how long does CBD stay in your system?” How long CBD can remain in your system depends on some different factors in CBD consumption, which we’ll address in this article.
TL;DR – CBD can stay in your system, in trace amounts, for several weeks. That said, CBD begins to break down roughly 24 hours after consuming it.
How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?
Typically, CBD can stay in your system for approximately 8 to 12 days. Keep in mind this duration varies from person to person. How long CBD remains detectable in the body depends on several factors such as metabolism, body composition, and how you consume CBD.
After four to five half-lives have passed, the plasma levels of a drug [CBD] will be below a clinically relevant concentration and will be considered eliminated (Jericho Hallare & Valerie Gerriets, 2020).
- Metabolism: the user’s metabolism plays a vital role in figuring out how long CBD levels in the body remain high. How long CBD stays in your system also depends on how you consume it: are you taking the CBD on an empty stomach or after a meal?
- Usage Routine: the more doses of CBD you consume, the longer it will stay in your body. That makes sense, right?
- CBD Dosage: the more CBD you take per dose, the more CBD will be available in your body.
Related: How Long Does Delta 8 THC Stay In Your System?
According to Epilepsy Current, “Following single doses in humans, the half-life of CBD when taken orally is about 1 to 2 days.“
That means that it takes roughly two days for the dose of CBD to degrade by half. It takes approximately four to six complete terms to disappear completely.
If we took the 2-day time frame of CBD, it could take anywhere from eight to twelve days to get out of our body completely (2 days x by 4 or 6).
How Long Do The Effects of CBD Last in the Body?
Again, how long CBD effects last in your body depends on some different factors. Most people report they can feel the effects of hemp derived CBD products for 4-6 hours, on average. In order to determine how long CBD effects from CBD products can be felt, you have to determine the CBD half-life, or time it takes something to degrade, and compare this with your metabolic rate.
Figuring these things out differs from person to person, so as a general rule of thumb, expect to feel the effects for about 4-6 hours.
How Does Cannabidiol Interact With Your Body?
CBD is a plant chemical found in the cannabis plant. CBD, frequently, is used for different health benefits. CBD oil is generally considered safe due to its non-psychoactive properties and lack of side effects.
However, some people may feel hesitant to use it due to the fact it is found in cannabis. People associate cannabis compounds with THC, which makes sense. We can see how people would be worried about that, but should they be
Remember, CBD oil doesn’t get the user high as THC does. Whether you use CBD isolate or a different spectrum, it’s not going to get you high. It’s not possible.
How long CBD stays in the system depends on several factors such as body type, body composition (amount of fat content), the method of consuming CBD, and the user’s metabolism.
What Affects the Length of Time CBD Stays in Your Body?
There are a few things that will affect how long CBD stays active in your body. We could get very detailed into each one of these, but for now we’ll simple list the things you can do to affect this time:
- Dose of CBD – how much did you take?
- Metabolism – faster metabolisms will process CBD more efficiently
- Body composition – the more body fat, the longer CBD can be stored
How Long Does Full Spectrum CBD Stay In Your System?
How long does CBD stay in your body if it’s fully spectrum? Did you know there is both a broad spectrum and full spectrum version of CBD products? The full spectrum version contains a tiny bit of THC (less than 0.3%), so how long would a full spectrum stay in your system?
Full spectrum CBD stays in your system for roughly the same amount of time as THC (3-4 weeks), because of their acute similarities. Our bodies store and process these cannabinoids, making CBD detectable just like THC.
How Long Will Broad Spectrum CBD Products Stay Detectable in Your System?
How long does CBD stay in your body if it’s broad spectrum? The length of time broad spectrum CBD stays in your body is no different from any other of the CBD products you might use. The only difference here is that broad spectrum CBD will have a near 0.0% THC content, where as full spectrum CBD can have up to 0.3% THC.
Clearing Your System of CBD Oil
Ingestion (by way of eating or drinking), or simply swallowed CBD, is a convenient and maybe the most common method of consuming CBD.
You can expect the effects of CBD oil to clear your body within several hours, but to clear your system completely it will take several weeks (3-4 weeks, on average).
There isn’t anything you can do to expedite this process, other than drink a ton of water, and exercise frequently. Even then, cannabis compounds can linger for weeks.
Does CBD Oil Get Into Your Bloodstream?
Yes, it does. The reason we feel the effects of CBD oil is because it can get into the bloodstream. CBD oil goes through your sublingual vein located under your tongue. It bypasses your digestive system, and we all know your digestive system takes time to get nutrients into your body.
This is why you are told to hold the CBD drops under your tongue for a while before swallowing.
When you use CBD products, the CBD is broken down into tiny parts. These parts are sent to the bloodstream, where they are circulated throughout the body and start to interact with the endocannabinoid system.
Your Sublingual Vein
The sublingual CBD consumption method is much more effective than ingestion. People place a few drops under the tongue and hold it there for up to two minutes. That’s it!
CBD reaches the bloodstream at higher levels because the CBD can enter the bloodstream via the sublingual vein. The time that it would take to pass through the liver is eliminated.
Some of the best effects of New Phase Blends’ exclusive products come from sublingual use. Taking CBD this way is the preferred method for many people.
How Long Does CBD Stay In Your Blood?
CBD does not show up in normal, common blood tests that people take. If you blood test for cannabis, it is the THC metabolites they will look for. That said, traces of CBD can stay in your blood for months.
How Long Can CBD Flower Stay In Your System?
Inhaling forms of hemp-derived CBD, like CBD flower or vapes, is also an effective method of consuming CBD. Inhalation causes rapid absorption of CBD to the bloodstream, increasing bioavailability. Keep in mind, CBD vapes can cause health issues.
*Due to the nature of smoking and the recent vaping crisis, New Phase Blends chooses not to sell any smokable CBD or vape products.
Some people believe that since smoking CBD flower works fast, the CBD will leave your body quicker. This is not the case. Smoking it still results in the cannabidiol remaining detectable for 2-4 weeks.
How Long Does CBD Cream Stay In Your System?
Several CBD infused products are available in topical forms, such as lotions, creams, balms, salves, and gels which can be applied directly to the skin. Topical CBD balm is extremely popular.
Interesting fact: We have CB1 and CB2 receptors in our skin that respond to cannabinoid use, like CBD topical creams.
Our skin can absorb the CBD, and then transfer it to our bloodstream where it gets to work in accomplishing tasks like fighting inflammation.
CBD cream will stay in your system similar to other forms of CBD products we have spoken about. Once it’s in your bloodstream, it’s in your bloodstream. There is no getting around that. If you consume CBD, your body processes CBD, and it will stay in your system.
How Long Do CBD Gummies Stay In Your Body?
Just like the oil, and creams, the CBD gummies can remain detectable in your body for 2-4 weeks. When you consume CBD, regardless of how you consume CBD, it will stay in your system for the same amount of time.
Do CBD Gummies Get In Your Bloodstream Faster Than Tinctures?
It depends. First of all, CBD gummies may take a bit longer to get into your bloodstream because they need to be digested first. When taken sublingually, CBD tinctures can bypass the digestion system and get into your bloodstream faster.
There is a rumor I’ve heard several times that specifies you should eat more CBD gummies to get them into your system faster. This is not true, at all. The gummies, no matter how many CBD gummies you eat, will all take the same amount of time to digest. You are simply going to end up eating too many gummies, and possibly get sick.
How Is CBD Cleared From Your Body?
If you take 32mg of CBD oil, in 24 hours your body will have 16mg left. Another 24 hours past that, you will have 8mg. This halving is done until there is essentially no detectable amount left in your body.
While the CBD may be out of your body within several days (depending on how much you took), the metabolites that process the CBD will be stored for weeks, potentially. So while you won’t have any pure CBD molecules hanging around, you’ll have the residual metabolites.
This breakdown also depends on your body composition. For example, if you use a full spectrum 1,000mg CBD tincture, the CBD is stored in the body’s fat cells (just like THC).
People who have a larger body mass index, or BMI, and more fat, will store more CBD. This reduces the time it takes to break down the CBD within your body.
As a very general rule of thumb, the more fat you have on your body, the longer it will take to completely degrade all of the CBD you have stored in these fat cells. Fat cell storage is why a drug test is able to detect certain things in a person’s body for a long period of time. Your body’s fat cells linger, and stay in your system forever. They are a great storage device for certain things.
Drug Tests and CBD Explained
The purpose of most drug tests is to identify the amount of a drug in our system. Drug tests screen for THC, not CBD. Typically, CBD won’t show on a drug test, but THC definitely will flag a positive result on a drug test.
Drug tests for THC detect THC metabolites. When these a drug screening attempts to detect THC metabolites, there is a chance a false positive can occur, depending on the similarities of the metabolites in question. Check out our article on CBD, THC, and drug testing for more information.
Many of the CBD products contain a trace amount of THC, which would theoretically cause a positive THC test result on a drug screening – because it is still detectable in urine tests. However, the amount of THC in legal CBD oils is so minuscule that drug tests for THC will not show as positive.
How Long Is CBD Detectable in Urine Drug Tests?
CBD is, technically, detectable in urine. However, a drug test in the form of urine tests made specifically for CBD are extremely hard to find, and quite expensive. Employers normally wouldn’t have a need a drug test for CBD, because CBD is non-intoxicating. For this reason, how long CBD is detectable in urine remains somewhat unclear.
If you can actually find a drug test in the form of a urine test for CBD, expect it to stay in your urine for about 2-4 weeks. Keep in mind, urine tests are not very accurate.
The following drug tests are far more accurate, and may show even minute amounts of THC:
- saliva tests
- hair tests
- blood tests
It is crucial to avoid any false positives for THC on a drug test by ensuring the CBD product is derived from hemp and not marijuana.
Marijuana derived CBD, on the other hand, can have much higher levels of THC. Some Marijuana-derived CBD products have THC content in excess of 20%. That is more than enough to show as positive on a drug test.
How Long Does CBD Stay in Saliva?
A drug screening that incorporates a swab to the inside of your mouth is a saliva drug test. There are no drug tests for CBD in saliva.
We, again, look to the drug screening via saliva tests for THC. If your CBD product had an excessive amount of THC in it, it will be detectable in saliva for about 4-5 days – sometimes longer.
How Long Does It Take CBD To Leave Your System?
For a healthy, middle aged adult that exercises regularly, it can take about 3 weeks to clear your body of traceable amounts of CBD. How long CBD stays in your body depends on several different factors, as you’ve read so far.
The higher your fat content, the slower your metabolism, and the more CBD you consumed, can all add time to this estimate.
Summary - How Long CBD Stays In Your Body
One of the main focuses of our article is to provide insightful analysis and interesting information that goes beyond the obvious. In order to achieve this, we have included information and analysis from various scientific studies and research on CBD and its effects on the human body, including how long CBD remains active in different situations.
Additionally, we also address common concerns and questions that people have about CBD, such as the possibility of it showing up in drug tests and the difference between full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD.
After looking at all of the research in this article, I can safely say that in most cases, CBD will remain in some amount within the human body for anywhere from 8 to 12 days after use. How long CBD lingers in your body is different from person to person, too.
Some people will have it eliminated from their bodies quicker, and others longer. Remember, it all depends on the following factors…
- Metabolism
- Body Composition
- Method of Consumption
Since CBD is, molecularly, very similar to THC, it can cause a false positive in poor quality tests. You can also potentially test positive for THC since it might be in your CBD products in trace amounts.
