How long does cbd oil stay in your system?

How Long does CBD Oil Stay in your System?

CBD oil has a much shorter half-life than its cousin THC. THC can be found when tested for in the body for up to 30 days after use. THC metabolizes for everyone differently, but generally, if you are a moderate to heavy smoker, expect for it to show 14-30 days after use.

CBD however actually leaves the system relatively quickly. There was a study in New York done where patients were given large doses of CBD over the course of a six-week period. They would take up to 2500mg of CBD per week. After testing, all of the 60 participants had no signs of CBD in their system 7 days out from stopping using the substance.

How long do the effects of CBD last in your system?

This is a question that will vary from person to person. There are a number of factors that will contribute to why the effects are felt for different amounts of time between people. Generally, people say that the effects of CBD are felt for 2-8 hours after use.

Take my 82-year-old grandmother—who weighs only about 90lbs. She uses CBD to help reduce inflammation with her arthritis. The reduction of inflammation works in tandem with the cannabinoid to help ease the chronic pain she suffers from it. She usually takes her CBD Oil in the mornings with her tea and it keeps her feeling good all day until the night. Then she has her second dose after dinner which she swears by to help her sleep.

CBD Vape Pen with Cannabis Leaf

The period between doses is roughly 9 hours apart for her. She does occasionally have a third dose in the afternoon on days when she is visiting her grandchildren. The method of ingestion for this afternoon dose is usually a CBD mist which she takes Sublingually by squirting a few sprays under her tongue. Sublingual CBD use is supposed to be the second quickest way to feel the onset of effects after smoking or vaping.

I on the other hand use CBD for anxiety and as a sleep aid. When I start to feel that turning in my stomach and start to get anxious, I will break out my CBD vape pen and take a few puffs. Within a few minutes, I start to feel my worries wash away. Then, most times after about 20 minutes, I can function properly again and get on with my day.

Depending on the day and how everything is going, I will notice the effects of the CBD start wear off after around 2-3 hours. I should note that I am 6’1 and weigh 200lbs. I am also quite active—getting 4 to 5 days of exercise in a week. So my metabolism is going to be quite high compared to my grandma’s

What are some other factors that contribute to how long the effects of CBD are felt for?

Three big factors regarding how long CBD lasts for are: how your take it, how much of it you take, and what type of CBD you are using. There are 4 main ways to take CBD and each will contribute differently to how long the effects are felt for:

Method of Consumption

Ingestion

This would be eating or drinking CBD in a variety of ways, so that it’s passed through the stomach, then to the liver before entering the bloodstream. This method of consumption is known to bring the slowest onset of effects, but also last the longest. Taking CBD pills or capsules or adding CBD to food through an oil tincture are the most common ways of ingesting CBD.

Inhalation

Vaping or smoking are known to provide the quickest effects of any method of consumption. This is because the CBD from your vape pen travels directly to your lungs and then right into your bloodstream. This method also has the shortest duration of effects due to the fact that it’s entering the blood much quicker than any of the other methods.

Sublingual Ingestion

The under-the-tongue method is the second fasted way to feel the effects of CBD. Using a CBD mist or CBD tincture to drop a few drops under your tongue is the perfect way to consume this cannabinoid. When taking CBD Sublingually the effects are often felt from 4-6 hours depending on the person. The nice thing about sublingual ingestion is that the compound enters your bloodstream almost immediately as it doesn’t have to pass through your stomach or liver.

Topical Application

When applying CBD through a topical application like a balm or CBD cream, it isn’t actually absorbed into the bloodstream, but instead, act on receptors to activate the endocannabinoid system. The CBD is then absorbed at a very slow rate, the slowest of all consumption methods. The effects however have been known to last the longest lasting over 5 – 10 hours. Topical CBD is currently being researched as an anti-inflammatory solution to some skin conditions.

Dosage Amount

If you take 100mg of CBD all at once, except for the effects to last longer than if you took just 10mg’s of CBD. But don’t expect the effects to last ten times as long. Depending again on the person and all of their factors like age, sex, metabolism, etc. The difference in amount will affect everyone differently. You should notice though that the more you take CBD, it will increase the duration it takes for it to both leave your body and dissipate the effects. Learn more about finding the proper CBD dosage.

Type of CBD

There are two main types of CBD which are full-spectrum and hemp CBD (no THC). Full-spectrum comes from the whole cannabis plant including the flowers and all. Where hemp CBD comes from the hemp plant and generally contains no THC. Research suggests that full spectrum CBD may actually last longer in the body than regular hemp CBD.

Worried about testing positive on your drug test for CBD?

Well, we have some good news for you! First off it’s usually not a compound that is screened for when you are given a drug test. Your employer or whoever else is looking to screen you, usually is looking for another cannabinoid from the same cannabis plant. If you don’t already know, I am referring to THC, the most common of all the 113 cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant.

The next thing to ease your mind regarding your upcoming drug test. Is that, more than half of all CBD comes from the hemp plant and contains absolutely no THC in it. The other half of CBD is called full-spectrum and it’s made from the whole cannabis plant. Full-spectrum CBD generally has trace amounts of CBD in it. The good news is that these trace amounts rarely show up in urine samples.

Conclusion on how long CBD lasts in your system

From the research:

1. CBD is not an issue when it comes to drug tests.
2. CBD leaves the body quicker than THC.
3. The effects of CBD last differently for everyone.
4. The method of consumption will affect the duration of CBD benefits.
5. Dosage amount and type of CBD also play a role in effect duration.

Please feel free to leave comments or feedback below. 

CBD products mentioned in the article