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Learn | 08.02.2022

How Long Do Edibles Stay In Your System?

Here's what you need to know about edibles and drug tests.

Maybe you had edibles and found out you had an upcoming drug test.

Worry not; there’s still plenty of hope you can pass. Check out this guide to passing drug tests, and keep reading for the full rundown on how long edibles will last in your body.

But maybe you’re not doing a drug test. Perhaps you’ve just ingested some edibles and are playing the patient waiting game. If that’s the case, hopefully, you can get through the article before the effects kick in.

How Long Do Edibles Take To Kick In?

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You might be reading this while waiting for your edible to kick in. Maybe you’re getting through this paragraph, and the words are starting to get a little…wooonky.

Just kidding, you’re fine. How long it takes for edibles to kick in depends on a few important factors;

  • The potency of the product
  • Metabolism
  • Sex
  • Weight
  • Tolerance

That said, the general time is about 30-90 minutes. Still, there are a few things to consider.

Different kinds of edibles will kick in at different rates. Take sublingual products, for example. These are things we absorb through the mouth’s mucous membranes, like tinctures, lollipops, and dissolvable candies.

Here’s the pathway THC takes when we swallow edibles like brownies and gummies.

  • THC is broken down in the stomach and digestive tract
  • It travels into the bloodstream, making its way to the liver
  • In the liver, THC breaks down even further and is sent back to the bloodstream
  • THC finally meets the brain, and the effects kick in.

How Long Do Edibles Last?

There are different approaches to cannabis consumption, more specifically: methods.

Humans have a long history of cannabis consumption, and we have developed various methods of consuming that allow us to intake, feel, and explore cannabis in different ways.

One of the most popular and booming ways to consume cannabis is treats and edibles. These treats are typically infused with cannabinoids that come from cannabis or hemp plants and depending on the type of edible you are consuming, you get a different explosion of euphoria and bliss.

Still, it changes slightly to what you would feel from smoking or vaping.

Cannabis edibles are formulated in a way that you absorb the cannabinoids into your bloodstream through digestion, so it may take a while longer to kick in, but it may last for a while more.

This relates to bioavailability, which is basically the amount available for your body to exploit. In terms of cannabis edibles, what this means is the onset time is longer than that of inhalation (smoking and vaping) or direct bloodstream absorption via osmosis (sublingual).

This is partly due to the long process undergone when digesting any substance. It naturally takes a while.

What Determines How Long An Edible Will Last?

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Simply put, everybody reacts differently to cannabis. What may be super strong for one person is lightwork for the next. Many times, this is because some have higher tolerances to cannabis than others.

Your tolerance to cannabis depends on;

  • How often you use cannabis
  • Your body mass index (BMI)
  • Age
  • Body chemistry
  • How potent the product is

The two main factors that make up your tolerance to cannabis are frequency of use and how potent the product is. So, a beginner user will likely experience a longer, more intense high than someone whose body is used to it.

Additionally, stronger cannabis products are quite powerful, meaning those weed-induced effects from a potent edible will definitely last longer than a weaker edible. In fact, the effects of edibles can last up to 12 hours.

What Determines How Strong An Edible Is?

Whether you’re baking edibles of your own or buying them from the dispensary, there’s one major thing you should look out for, THC.

If you’re new to cannabis lingo, THC is the psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis that induces a high. When it comes to weed and edibles, every single product has a different THC content. This is usually presented in percentage form on dried flower and milligram form on edibles.

In terms of edibles, what you’re looking out for is the THC content in terms of milligrams. That is, if you’re buying it from a dispensary. If you’re whipping up a batch of cannabutter, you can only hope that you followed the directions right and dosed accordingly.

For beginner users, a solid starting point for edibles sits around 2.5mg THC. It may seem like a small amount, but edibles are notorious for having stronger effects than dried flower. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

This is because our livers will take our ingested THC and transform it into a stronger version, which we absorb and thus get higher. After taking 2.5mg, it’s best to wait a couple hours before taking another dose.

How Long Do Edibles Stay In My Body?

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Generally speaking, edibles can have a more prolonged effect than other consumption methods, and their effects usually last from 3 to 6 hours.

However, the question “how long until I can pass a drug test?” varies depending on the amount, frequency, and habits of your consumption.

Cannabis is a powerful substance, and the general rule is that to detox from it, you must wait a certain time according to how long you have been consuming, how much you consume, and how frequently you do it.

In general terms, you can say that edibles will still appear on a drug screen after 3 to 14 days, but this may be much longer if you’re a heavy user.

Check out Pass Your Test to better understand what we expect when consuming and getting tested. We advise you to cut the amount you consume to a minimum and stop as soon as possible to start detoxifying.

What Is A Detox?

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Detoxification is the process by which toxins ingested into the body are removed, and it takes a varying amount of time depending on how much cannabis you use.

There are a variety of detoxification diets on the market that promise to help with the process and even offer to do it for you, but there is little proof that they remove toxins from your body.

Although you may experience some benefits from consuming certain meals and/or beverages, the liver and kidneys are already capable of filtering and removing the majority of toxins.

Dietary power is undeniable, and it can have a variety of mood and motivation-boosting impacts.

When it comes to cannabis, the consumer will test positive for a specific length of time, depending on how often they use it.

Some people may still test positive more than a month after the last time they smoked or took an edible if their use is frequent, heavy, and in large doses.

Infrequent users can test positive for one to three days, while heavy users can test positive for around a month or longer after their last use.

Edibles may have some variation and may show positive after one to five days, but if you’re a heavy user, these may still show after a month or more, just like smoking.

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