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How Long Does It Take to Get below 50 ng/mL?
Marijuana is legal in many states now, but employers still conduct drug tests before recruiting staff. In some other cases, when an employee is hurt in the office, drug tests are conducted to determine the cause of the accident. They are also required for sporting activities, parole, and some kinds of medical treatments.
If you are a recreational user of marijuana, you may worry about how long it takes for marijuana to leave your system and become untraceable in a drug test. Many sources say that marijuana can be detected up to thirty days after use but this answer doesn’t always right. Since there are different types of drug tests with varying levels of time periods and sensitivity, the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t apply here.
This article will throw more light on how long it takes for marijuana to get below 50 ng/mL as well as how to hasten up this process.
Table of Contents
What Is 50 ng/mL?
Urine tests are most commonly used to detect drugs. 50 nanograms per milliliter are the usual cut-off level for pre-employment THC urine tests. This is the point under which tests are considered negative, and above which the tests are positive. This cut-off level is established at the point which will optimize the detection of drugs while still maintaining a minimum false-positive result.
Note that negative results do not imply that the urine sample is completely drug-free. It may reveal some level of a substance's concentration but below the cut-off level.
50 ng/mL vs 15 ng/mL
There is no generally accepted standard for the cutoff levels, so they can range from 15 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL, depending on the situation. The most common drug cut-off level for urine tests is 50 ng/mL. The 15 ng/mL level is used in two cases:
- In a confirmatory test. The normal testing process takes place in two steps: the first step is an initial test with a 50 ng/mL cut-off, and if a positive result is obtained, it is sent for a confirmatory test with the 15 ng/mL cut-off.
- In some drug testing programs or by certain employers who have a zero-tolerance policy for drug use. Some drug testing programs may use lower cutoff levels for THC, such as 20 ng/mL or 15 ng/mL, to increase the sensitivity of the test and detect lower levels of THC in the urine samples. The Department of Defense, for example, uses 15 ng/mL in its tests for military personnel.
How Much Do You Have to Smoke to Get 50 ng/mL?
The most important compound during a urine test is CarboxyTetrahydrocannabinol. Studies have revealed that one joint produces 150 to 200 ng/mL concentration of THC-COOH. The smoker's urine will have this amount in his/her urine four hours after smoking. This means that 50 ng/mL corresponds to about one-third or one-quarter of the joint. However, it depends largely on your weed potency.
How Long Does THC Stay in Your System?
THC, the chemical in weed that is responsible for making users feel high, stays in the human body for days and sometimes, weeks. To determine how long THC stays in the body, there are a lot of factors to consider. They include:
- Personal metabolism of the user;
- Age, weight, and lifestyle;
- Hydration level;
- How often the user consumes;
- The potency of marijuana.
Some people eliminate THC from their bodies faster than others.
Saliva tests can detect marijuana only for a couple of days, while urine tests can detect THC for up to a week, and hair tests for up to 3 months after use. The reason for this is the metabolism of THC in the body. Since it is considered a lipid-soluble chemical and binds to body fat, it takes more time to be removed from the whole body than just from the mouth.
Research conducted in 2017 estimates that one joint can be detected within 4-18 days. It also revealed that the detection window varies and depends on how often the user smokes. A user who smokes weed regularly three or four times a week can test positive for 5-7 days after the last use. Those who smoked once can test positive for three days. Users who smoke more than once daily may have marijuana residues in their system for up to a month.
Read more: How Long Till I'm Clean?
How Long Does It Take to Get below 50 ng/mL?
Scientists have established that smoking 27 mg of THC in weed produced THC-COOH in the urine sample at 180 ng/mL four hours later. Also, it was found that the THC half-life varies from 1.4 days to 4 days for occasional smokers. For frequent smokers, it may increase up to 7 days.
This means that it will take about 3 days to get below 50 ng/mL. This is because, in a day and a half, it will become 180/2 = 90 ng/mL. And another day and a half later, it will become 90/2 or 45 ng/mL.
However, to pass the test with a cutoff of 20 ng/mL users that do not smoke frequently will need at least five days. The frequent users, on the other hand, will need at least 7 days for a negative result.
You can use the THC calculator for predictions, however, you should note, that these calculations are not accurate and may vary from person to person, depending on variables such as body mass, age, personal metabolism, and lifestyle.
Ways to Clean Your System Faster
Marijuana will get out of your system naturally within a few days to a month. However, if you need to pass a drug test within a shorter time, you can clean your system faster.
Speeding up the metabolism is a good way to clean the system. Exercise may come in handy in boosting your metabolism. However, it can cause a positive result when it is done too close to the test because physical activity burns fats and releases THC into the urine.
That is why the best way to speed up the THC withdrawal process and get it out of your body is to consume lots of water. Hydration interferes with the result of the drug test because it lowers the THC concentration in urine. Being dehydrated increases the chances of failing the test.
Frequent urination is the best way to cleanse your system, and marijuana detox kits help this well. Fast Marijuana Detox Kit is the most effective of all the kits available on the market. It contains a bottle of detox drink along with super boost tabs, one pack of the chewable supplement and a home THC test device. This detox kit cleanses your system within 2 hours and gives you a 5-hour window to provide a clean sample for a drug test.
