As social stigma and legal restrictions relax, marijuana edibles have become increasingly popular with Americans of all ages. In fact, the edible market was worth an estimated $8 billion dollars in 2022 and is projected to grow around 16% from 2023 to 2032. There are many reasons consumers have developed a preference for edibles: they’re discreet, easy to use, smoke free, and allow for more precise dosing. Many edible products are more potent than smoking or vaping weed, so users can get a stronger high while using less weed. Cannabis edibles also come in a wide array of different products from gummies to baked goods to infused beverages.
However, despite edibles’ growing acceptance for recreational as well as medical use, cannabis users face several potential situations in which they must take a drug test to detect pot’s presence. Many jobs, such as the financial or manufacturing industries, won’t hire people who test positive for the presence of edibles. If you’ve used edibles you could find yourself wondering: how long does an edible stay in your system?
The answer to that question depends on multiple factors, which you can learn more about in this guide.
What Are Edibles?
Edibles, as the name suggests, refers to a range of food and beverage products that are infused with THC or CBD. People who consume edibles feel the same effects as those who smoke or vape marijuana without smoking’s smell or impact on their lungs.
Types of Edible Marijuana Products
There are many types of edibles available for sale on the market.
- Baked goods such as brownies, cookies, cakes, or muffins
- Candy such as gummies or mints
- Chocolate
- Protein bars or energy bars
- Beverages like seltzers or flavored water
- Ice cream and frozen novelties
- Dried fruits such as mango apricots
Many edibles fans enjoy making their own edibles by making infused chocolates or baked goods.
How Edibles Work on Your Body
When you take an edible it, it’s absorbed by your body through a five-step process:
- Eating the edible where you break it down through chewing and saliva.
- When you swallow the edible, your stomach enzymes get to work further breaking it down.
- The edible leaves your stomach and enters the small intestine where the intestinal lining absorbs the THC or CBD.
- The liver metabolizes the THC.
- After the liver metabolizes it, the bloodstream distributes the cannabinoids throughout the body.
- When the body has fully metabolized the TCH, the compound passes out of the body via urine.
How Long Effects of Edibles Last
When you take an edible, it starts to kick in in around 30 to 45 minutes. However, for many people, it may take up to an hour. On rare occasions, edibles can take up to two hours to kick in. Your blood’s THC levels should reach its highest point between one and three hours after ingesting.
Depending on your digestive system, metabolism, and what type of edible you took, you could feel its effects for up to eight hours. However, some residual effects can take up to a full day to fully wear off.
How Long an Edible Remains in Your System
Weed is in your system for as little as 4 hours or as long as 12. However, THC remains detectable to drug tests anywhere from 3 to 90 days.
What Effects Detectability
Marijuana has such a large window of detectability because your body’s ability to break down and eliminate it is impacted by so many factors. The factors depend on the person taking the edible, the exact edible they ingest, and what testing protocol is being used.
Variables impacted by the person include:
- Body composition and BMI
- Metabolic rate
- Age
- Height
- How frequently they use marijuana
- If they’ve built up a tolerance to THC
Dosage is the most important aspect of the specific edible consumed. An edible’s half-life depends on which strain of weed was used and how much THC was infused into the product. Higher dosages of THC will remain detectable for a longer period of time.
Types of Drug Tests for Weed
No matter what type of drug test is used, an edible will remain detectable in your system for at least several hours, and most likely a full day. Some tests, however, can detect trace amounts of THC and THC’s byproducts for much longer.
Saliva tests are the least sensitive type of test and are used to detect very recent marijuana use. For a first-time user who takes a small dose and has a fast metabolism, a saliva test will detect weed for mere hours. People with slower metabolisms or who take higher doses will test positive for up to 48 hours.
Blood tests can detect marijuana up to two days after using an edible. People with more body fat or higher weight will test positive for longer than those with a higher body fat percentage.
Urine tests, the most common type of drug test, can detect THC for between three days and two weeks. A urine test’s sensitivity is driven mostly by how frequently the person uses cannabis. Frequent heavy users will test positive for several weeks, even months, after they last used the drug.
Hair follicle tests can detect marijuana the longest: up to 90 days. These tests are rarely used due to their false positive rate.
THC ingested via edible remains in your system for a long time. As long as up to three months! And while edibles are legal in many states, testing positive can still have serious professional and social repercussions. The key to responsible edible use is to take small doses and use marijuana infrequently.