In recent years, millions of people in the world have started with the use of CBD (cannabidiol) products for treating different conditions, or simply for maintaining their well-being. But will these products affect a mandatory drug test?

CBD AND THC WERE BORN TOGETHER

Cannabidiol used to make a tincture, oil or whatever product the industry is going to extract from its hat, can be taken out from both medical cannabis and industrial hemp (which are basically the same plant). Hemp derivatives are considered food integrators in most countries, thus there are no restrictions on selling and consuming CBD, for the moment.

Despite this, authorities are still freaking out about the trace amount of THC in CBD products, such as the hemp seed oils we sprinkle on salads. The legal THC limit in food products varies from 0,1% to 0,4%, according to each country’s law. Not even a kid would get stoned by drinking a bottle of oil with 0,4% THC, and he/she would probably vomit, well before finishing the drink.

NO THC POSITIVE RISK FOR MOST PEOPLE

The vast majority of people consuming CBD don’t need doses high enough to carry significant amounts of THC mixed together in the product, thus they will pass any drug test. Legal extracts, oils, balms, e-liquids, even concentrated pastes don’t contain enough THC to be revealed on common drug tests, not even if a person was taking the CBD product daily at standard dosage for a long time. Anyway, no private company or public authority sets the THC legal limit to zero because this would cause too many false positives in the biochemical analysis.

Each individual has different reactions to food, drugs and substances, and this can affect drug tests. However, a patient who needs to take high amounts of CBD in order to reduce neuropathic pain or mitigate invasive therapies' adverse effects, might reveal positive in a drug test. Even with the very low and legal concentrations of THC in most cannabidiol products, a daily CBD consumption of 1.000-2.000 milligrams from a phytocomplex cannabis extract will likely cause a positive THC return in drug tests. This would require at least a second positive test in order to speculate about firing an employee or suspending a driving license.

Everyone should be fully aware of any ingested or inhaled substance, legal or not. Buying extracts from reliable manufacturers is the first step in order to be aware of how much THC might be in a therapeutic, dietary, or recreational product. Trusted online shops usually sell only lab-tested products with (quite) certified contents of active principles. Drinking a lot of water and exercising heavily before the drug test will reduce THC levels.