Full-spectrum CBD products from hemp plants contain a legal amount of THC. Although this cannot get you intoxicated, it leaves you wondering: can you fail a drug test due to CBD?
CBD, cannabidiol, is gaining ground as a natural remedy for many ailments. CBD oil and other CBD products come from the cannabis sativa plant.
This plant has different species. However, legal CBD is gotten specifically from hemp, a type of cannabis sativa that contains high amounts of CBD but low THC.
CBD is non-intoxicating, unlike its sister compound, THC. Also, it shouldn’t show up on drug tests. That’s because these drug tests screen for THC and not CBD. However, using CBD products that contain even trace amounts of THC can be concerning because if enough THC builds up, it will show on a drug test.
What that entail is: In rare cases, using CBD products can make you get a positive drug test. Fortunately, this all depends on factors like the quality of the CBD product you’re consuming and its content. This article will point out several reasons why a CBD product can give a positive drug result. By the end, you should know what to avoid when using CBD and lots more.
Is There Any Chance of Failing a Drug Test Consuming CBD?
One of the questions CBD enthusiasts ask is: can CBD cause you to fail a drug test? While drug tests do not look for CBD, they check for THC. CBD and THC are not the same substance, THC can cause the feeling of high where in the case of CBD, it does not. The full-spectrum CBD products contain THC. These CBD products are from hemp plants and contain small amounts of THC.
According to regulations of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp-derived CBD products must not have more than 0.3% THC. That amount is not enough to make you feel intoxicated. But will 0.3% THC show up on the urine test?
The answer is Yes, it can. There are reports of people failing a drug test due to their use of CBD products. Although this sounds unfair, it does happen. If your workplace conducts regular drug screening, then you may want to take full-spectrum CBD products with care.
About 5 to 10 percent of these drug tests produce a false positive. Most people assume using CBD isolates may protect them from CBD failed drug tests, but that’s not always the case. Unfortunately, some of these drug tests cannot differentiate between CBD and THC. So it’s possible to have CBD show as a positive THC. Remember that you can always ask for a re-test.
How Drug Test for Cannabis Really Works?
According to this article, urine drug tests usually check for the following substances:
- Cocaine
- Cannabis
- Alcohol
- Amphetamines
- Opiates
- Benzodiazepines
This urine test is the most common way of detecting cannabis. Also called an immunoassay test, this urine drug screen uses antibodies to detect the presence of THC and its metabolites. How this works is the antibodies are designed to clamp on the drug or its metabolites. When this happens, it produces a signal which shows the test as ‘positive’.
The Federal government has different concentrations levels for urine drug screening. At different levels, the results can either be positive or negative. If the tests detect a drug presence below the concentration threshold set by the government, it shows a negative result.
When analyzing drug test results, doctors always take care to avoid false positives and false negatives. If a person’s result comes out as a positive, they may undergo a confirmatory test.
Follow-up tests like high-performance liquid chromatography are more accurate for detecting drugs and their metabolites.
Top Reasons You Will Fail a Drug Test Consuming CBD Products
Many jobs require employers to take regular drug tests. What are the odds that you may fail a drug test when you use cbd oil specially the ones that comes in higher potency?
CBD and drugs tests are tricky. As we established before now, the probability of failing a drug test is there. So what are some of the various reasons why this might happen?
Cross-contamination: During manufacturing of CBD-only or THC-only products, cross-contamination is possible. This can happen even when the THC in a product is in small quantities. When CBD and THC oil products are in close contact, cross-contamination can always occur. And this doesn’t happen during manufacturing alone; it’s also possible at home and in stores.
False Labeling: German researchers analyzed 67 products containing CBD and found that 25% were non-compliant with the accepted THC dose. Most times, when a manufacturer states their product is THC-free, it may be misleading. Some brands sell out products that are not third-party tested and often misrepresent the actual content of the product on the label.
Chemical Transformation: CBD, compared to THC, is not an illegal substance. But did you know CBD can turn into THC in the body? According to Healthline in this article, CBD can turn into THC in acidic conditions.
Some studies speculate this transformation takes place in the stomach. However, others refute this finding because it was conducted in-vitro, which doesn’t represent an actual human condition.
The use of Other Drugs: Other drugs can give a false-positive result for cannabis or THC when you do a urine screening. Some of these drugs are:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, sulindac, and naproxen.
- Efavirenz
- Dronabinol
- Pantoprazole
Dosage and Duration: THC can take from hours to weeks before it leaves your body. So, the amount of CBD you take and how often you take it matters. If you consume more CBD products for a long period, the longer you will have traces of THC showing in your system. It’s always a good practice to follow a proper dosage guide to avoid longer duration of THC availability on your system to avoid detection.
Final Thoughts
CBD is not an illegal, controlled substance. It’s also not intoxicating, so drug tests do not check for it. However, people who use CBD products can still fail a drug test. Most CBD products in the sale have misleading labeling and may contain THC even when not stated.
Some drugs can also alter your test result and give a false positive. It’s possible to plan well and avoid positive drug tests when consuming CBD products. You can buy CBD isolate from reputable brands that take their products for third-party tests and publish the lab reports.
