THC is one of the "NIDA 5". The five drugs tested for in the standard NIDA approved drug test. It is standardly detectable in Urine for 48-72 hours after single use. Habitual or chronic use can be detected in urine for up to 12 weeks depending on quantity, duration, and frequency of use.
Tetrahydrocannabinol is rapidly absorbed by inhalation and the gastrointestinal tract . It is almost completely metabolized. The predominant metabolite is 9-carboxy-11-nor-delta-9-THC, which found in the plasma, feces and urine along with other compounds. Very low concentrations of THC may be detected in urine during the initial several hours, but tetrahydrocannabinol persists in urine at a detectable concentration for many days after smoking.
---Onsite Drug Testing
The standard THC test is a one step rapid, qualitative immunoassay for the detection of tetrahydrocannabinol compounds (11-nor-THC-9-Carboxylic Acid) in urine. The cutoff concentration for a positive result in an immunoassay test is 50 ng/ml as recommended by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (NIDA). The cutoff for GC-MS is 15 ng/ml.
Experiences:
Cannabis use is detectable with hair tests and is generally included in the standard hair test. Hair tests generally take the most recent 1.5 inches of growth and use those for testing. That provides a detection period of approximately 90 days. If an individual's hair is shorter than 1.5 inches, this detection period will be shorter.
In the past few years, new technologies have been developed which allow for saliva testing for the presence of Cannabis (THC). We do not currently have information about what the detection period is for these tests.
Cannabis is detectable in the blood for approximately 2-3 days after use in an infrequent user. Frequent use can be detected in the blood for approximately 2 weeks.
