Contributor: KC SCANNELL
Now, more than ever, it feels like it’s damn near impossible to find a decent job. Maintaining a lasting form of employment is increasingly difficult, as a growing number of companies promise the world to their staff, only to close up shop mere months later. The unemployment rate of this country is staggering, and the occupations available that even come close to paying a fair wage are few and far between.
This state of affairs leads people to go for more desperate routes. Despite being incredibly educated and skilled in one field or another, these poor people have to make ends meet by taking low paying jobs, that are often in depressed, morale-killing atmospheres.
Everyday, regardless of how much they want to stay in bed, these courageous folks get up and go to their terrible jobs, all the while hoping that a beacon of hope will show up in their inbox one day. Then, finally, after weeks and weeks of back-breaking, anger-inducing labor, they wake up to see a strange email waiting for them.
Upon opening it up, a massive weight of financial responsibility is lifted from their shoulders and soul. This was the message they had been painstakingly waiting for. An employer, who they have dreamed of working for, has reached back to them, offering a position. Not only that, but the money and benefits are beyond generous.
Visions of quitting that current BS job, in exchange for this ideal opportunity spring to the forefront of their mind. They are, quite literally, on cloud nine! And before they even skim through the remainder of the message, they fire up a celebratory bowl. They hold the hit in a little longer than usual, savoring each second of this smoke-filled moment of joy.
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Then, as they happily exhale their cannabis cloud, they notice a peculiar ending to the last paragraph of the message. At first, their brain doesn’t really put it all together. It simply recognizes a couple buzz words, causing their mind to stop in its tracks, and decipher the statement.
That’s when their newly-created world of optimism comes crashing down.
“Required Drug Test.”
Those three words was all it took to completely ruin what should have been a life-changing experience.
As an avid cannabis enthusiast, especially since they’ve been depressed with their work situation (or lack thereof), smoking has become an even bigger part of their daily routine.
There’s absolutely no way they’d be able to pass a drug test.
Or could they?
Well, actually, that all depends on a number of different contributing factors.
First and foremost, a common practice when trying to rid the body of THC is to abstain from marijuana for at least 30 days straight. There is no scientific evidence proving this claim to be true, but it stands to reason that such a length of time would provide the body enough time to deplete whatever remaining THC is still lingering in the bloodstream and fat cells.
Even then, it would completely depend on how much and how often you smoke. In addition to that, a person’s personal metabolism plays a major role, as well.
Every enthusiast’s genetic makeup is different, and it reacts differently to the intake and detoxification of cannabis. Some are quicker than others, and only require a couple weeks to fully cleanse their system. But, other, more routine smokers may require upwards of a month in order to pass a drug test of this nature. It really is a case-by-case basis.
Another thing to consider on this subject is the testing medium, itself. Tests, just like our genetics and metabolisms, are different. They vary in how accurately they can detect THC in a person, along with how recently they last enjoyed some marijuana. The latter is referred to in the community as the “window of detection.”
An expert in the field, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, Ryan Vandrey, was asked to offer up his opinion on the window of detection.
Of which, Vandrey said, “There is no typical window of detection. It is highly variable from person to person and it varies based on the frequency of use and the amount of use. So there is no way of predicting or knowing how long someone would test positive with any kind of certainty.”
The various forms of testing mediums currently being used by employers across the nation involve the following: urine, fingernails, sweat, blood, saliva, hair, and even breath.
Whichever route your employer may take in this regard, the next step is in the hands of the test conductor.
They will need to work with the employer to determine what they consider a proper “sensitivity” level. That is in reference to the limit they will be looking for when testing for THC in a potential employee. Then, when they come to an agreement, they will deem a test as “failed” if a person has more THC in their system than that previously-agreed upon amount.
In typical testing cases, the most common testing medium is conducted through the analysis of a person’s urine. With urine, you can usually expect the limit to be set at around 50 ng/mL. But that’s not a requirement. It’s not unusual to see some go into the triple digits, or as low as 10 or 15 ng/mL. It’s all dependent on the employer, and how lenient they want to be in this regard.
Speaking on the subject of drug testing, in general, Vandrey commented, “Testing is usually a two-step process. The first step is a qualitative yes/no with a typical cutoff of 50 nanograms per milliliter. And if you see a qualitative positive, you then send it off for confirmation with a more sensitive quantitative assessment that uses a 15 nanograms per milliliter cutoff.”
Like I mentioned above, there is no hard-and-fast rule as to how long THC actually stays in your system, as there are a multitude of variabilities to consider. However, the Director of the Division of Workplace Programs at SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), Ron Flegel offered up his opinion on the matter.
Specifically, Flegel said, “If it is an infrequent use or single use it usually takes just about 72 hours.” Which makes sense.
For people who partake in bud a little more frequently than that, Flegel says that, “chronic users are probably looking at seven to ten days.” Not too bad.
But, again, nothing is set in stone. In fact, Flegel, himself, has seen more than his fair share of unique fluxuations in test results over the years.
Speaking on that, Flegel said, “A lot of people call us and say the person was negative and now they are positive, and they say they haven’t used. But if a person becomes dehydrated it concentrates the urine and when they exercise it breaks down fat cells and releases THC. So you will actually see that over time they will go up and down between positive and negative.”
His counterpart, Ryan Vandrey, had a slightly different opinion, however.
Vandrey says that, “In a single acute use for a fixed dose we might see a range of variability on the order of days. So someone might be clean the next day and others might be positive for seven days. And if you are talking about frequent repeated use the variability just gets bigger. I have had people who smoked cannabis all day every day be clean in a week and a half, and others be dirty for two months.”
