Author: John Carter

Chemistry, Metabolism, and Toxicology of Cannabis: Clinical Implications

Individuals using this over-hydration method also often take a vitamin B-12 supplement to turn their urine more yellow, making it appear less dilute. Cannabis sativa contains over 421 chemicals including 61 different cannabinoids, of which delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9 THC) is considered the most psychoactive. Delta-9 THC has a thick, sticky consistency (somewhere between a solid and a liquid) and is easily vaporized. It readily dissolves into lipids and fats, and once in the body gets deposited in fatty (adipose) tissue, and in the liver, lungs, and spleen. We can give an estimate of the amount of time marijuana remains in the body, but the most reliable way is to test yourself twice weekly until your first, morning urine sample tests clean.

CBD Oil: What are 9 Proven or Possible Health Benefits?

Addiction Resource does not offer medical diagnosis, treatment, or advice. Only trained and licensed medical professionals can provide such services. If you or anyone you know is undergoing a severe health crisis, call a doctor or 911 immediately. ▵9_THC has a tri-cyclic 21- carbon structure without nitrogen and with two chiral centers in trans-configuration (9).

  1. However, urine drug tests can detect it for up to 30 days in someone who consumes weed daily, although some labs may be able to detect it for up to 45 days.
  2. Some drug screens return with a positive result even when the person has not consumed THC.
  3. After use, cannabinoids reach the hair follicles via small blood vessels and from sebum and sweat surrounding the hair shaft.
  4. For example, 11-hydroxy-THC remains psychoactive and even has a faster onset which can help people with chronic pain issues.

How Long Does Marijuana Stay in Your Blood?

Our on-site amenities include art and music therapy, gyms, a basketball court and more. This is because the drug passes directly into the bloodstream and is carried to the brain. THC and its metabolites may stay in your system anywhere from several days to several months after you last use cannabis.

Marijuana False Positives

The ▵9_THC absorbed by the passive smoking depends on several features related to the condition under which passive inhalation took place (viz. environment, duration, ▵9_THC content, number of smoked joints). There is now a consensus that positive results due to passive inhalation are possible (84). The detection window ranges from a few days to several weeks, but some tests can detect it for months. After entering and circulating through the body, some THC will reach hair follicles through small blood vessels where small amounts are deposited into the growing hair. Once the THC is in the hair, it will likely be detectable for years. In fact, hair preserves drug residues so well that scientists can even find evidence of cocaine use in the hair of a 900 year old mummy.9 But, fear not–that is not the normal detection window.

Cannabis is one of the most widely abused substances throughout the world. The primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (▵9_THC), produces a myriad of pharmacological effects in animals and humans. Although it is used as a recreational drug, it can potentially lead to dependence and behavioral disturbances and its heavy use may increase the risk for psychotic disorders.

What is delta-9 THC?

If you or a loved one struggles with marijuana use, American Addiction Centers (AAC) can help. Our facilities offer several levels of substance use treatment—from live-in inpatient rehab to outpatient programs that require onsite counseling and therapies a few times a week. Our treatment centers are fully credentialed and specialize in evidence-based care to treat all levels of drug and alcohol misuse. Marijuana stays in urine in proportion to how often the person uses it. For example, if a person uses weed once a week, traces of weed remain in urine for up to 10 days. However, urine drug tests can detect it for up to 30 days in someone who consumes weed daily, although some labs may be able to detect it for up to 45 days.

While it’s not as bioavailable as THC from smoking it’s been proven in studies to be more powerful. THC can be metabolized differently depending on whether it’s smoked or eaten. When cannabis is smoked, the THC-A becomes THC while you’re smoking it. This is why when smoking weed, the high can be almost instantaneous.

Substances

Weed has been found in breast milk for varying amounts of time, ranging from six hours to six weeks depending on the study. It remains unclear whether using weed while breastfeeding has any short or long-term impact on a baby’s health or development, as studies have conflicting results. For this reason, to be safe, experts recommend against using weed if you breastfeed.

There are a lot of free drug addiction rehabs, especially in the United States. These facilities provide programs to get all the help individuals may need. Marijuana, due to its high solubility, stores in various fluids and tissues of the body and breaks down at a varying period of time. Many variables influence whether or not one’s cannabis consumption can be detected and when. One will find a general guide on how long weed stays in the body here, but keep in mind that these factors vary from person to person.

▵9_THC is volatile viscous oil with high lipid solubility and low aqueous solubility and a pKa of 10.6. ▵9_THC is present in cannabis as a mixture of mono-carboxylic acids, which gets readily and efficiently de-carboxylated upon heating (9). It decomposes when exposed to air, heat or light (13) and readily binds to glass and plastic. Therefore, ▵9_THC is usually stored in basic or organic solvents in amber silicate glassware to avoid loss during analytical procedures (14). This article has been reviewed by Dr. Anand Dugar, an anesthesiologist, pain medicine physician and the founder of Green Health Docs.