Will I fail a drug test by taking CBD products?
Have we seen some interesting articles coming out surrounding drug testing and CBD or what? Some important things to know regarding this area. 1) There are several different kinds of CBD products on the market. 2) There are several different kinds of drug tests. 3) There are several different kinds of people and metabolisms out there. 4) Why are you taking CBD?
Starting backwards at point four (you may not need to go any further, so we’ll start with this). If taking CBD gives you anxiety because you are worried about drug screening, don’t take it! One of the major reasons to supplement with cannabinoids is to relax and spend more time in the parasympathetic nervous system. If it freaks you out, it may not even work.
Point One – there are several different kinds of CBD products on the market. CBD isolates, THC free broad-spectrum products and full spectrum CBD. The important takeaway here is that CBD isolates and broad spectrum do not have detectable amounts and may not have any THC, usually this .00% or less. This is also dependent on the equipment and the detection levels the lab's equipment is set on. Due to a multitude of reasons, the consensus is that full spectrum CBD is the way to go!
There are over 115 discovered cannabinoids, and taking CBD isolated out by itself will not yield the results you’re looking for. Other cannabinoids and compounds in the plant work synergistically together. Unless you’re looking to do a study on CBD (cannabidiol) by itself in a controlled product, you should pass on CBD isolate! Broad spectrum is tricky because you want THC remediated out of a full spectrum oil. However, people market T-Free broad spectrum as a broad spectrum of cannabinoids without THC… So, a producer could mix together some cannabinoids isolates to make this product. THC free products that tout a broad spec of cannabinoids are better than isolates, but still not quite the best. The best is, full spectrum!
When dealing with full spectrum CBD there is always THC involved, always! THC is one of the most prevalent cannabinoids in the hemp plant, so it’s still there after completing a whole plant extraction. If you are getting testing and would like to supplement with full spectrum CBD continue reading on, this will help you make an informed decision.
When sales people tell you there is not THC in their full spectrum product it is either non detectable THC or the product is not full spectrum. Non detectable is subjectable to the detection device or spectrometer. Here, even third-party testing can be dicey if their spectrometer is set to detect anything above, say .10%; that’s a pretty high level! Arcanum works with a reputable third-party lab in Colorado and their spectrometers detect anything above .001%.
Tinctures have a +/- minus 40 percent absorption rate, and oral consumption yields a +/- 10 percent therefore if your product has trace amounts of THC you must expose yourself to more THC in order to get a decent supplementation of CBD. Micro dosing with a transdermal product will result in the least amount of THC exposure if you’re using a full spectrum product.
For example, Arcanum’s Quill has a 90% absorption rate and each serving is 2.5 milligrams. If you took a 25 milligram pill and it yielded 10% of systemic absorption that’s 2.5 milligrams, however you’re not just peeing out excess, unutilized CBD…
The Quill tests at .00% percent THC and is a full spectrum product. The PhD who developed this product wrote a white paper on Quill usage and changes in urine analysis, and there was none.
Point 2 - There are different kinds of drug screening processes. I have talked to people who work for NASA about cannabinoid supplementation and their tests are very different than someone who is subject to the over the counter drugstore tests. Some employees of government agencies are screened using polygraphs.
If you’re hoping we’ll say that you ABSOLUTELY will not fail a drug test by taking these products, we won’t. Because of all the factors listed above we simply cannot. The best thing someone concerned about drug screening can do is educate themselves and make a decision that they are comfortable with, and a decision that aligns with their vocation.
Until next time,
Stay healthy my friends!