How long does CBD stay in your system?

As is the case with anything we ingest, from our food to the caffeine in our morning coffee, our bodies take time to metabolise and process everything we consume. When it comes to the question of how long CBD remains in the body, approximations state that we can expect this to take 2-5 days. However, it is hard to answer this entirely accurately, without considering the many contributing factors towards how long our bodies take to process CBD. 

WHAT FACTORS AFFECT HOW LONG CBD STAYS IN THE BODY?

To understand how long CBD may stay in the system from person to person, we need to consider some of the aspects that can influence this. Of course, there are a whole host of factors that will vary based upon each individual’s physiology, but these are some of the most significant things to be aware of; 

THE METHOD OF CONSUMPTION:

Depending upon how CBD is administered, we can expect to see some variation in how long it remains in our systems. Generally, we recommend CBD oil tinctures when it comes to easily measuring and controlling dosages for your personal preference. Other methods, such as topicals, absorb and are processed very slowly by comparison. Vaping CBD products is the quickest mainstream way to intake CBD into the body- however, it will also be eliminated from the body very quickly and is not especially effective (or advised) for practical applications. 

THE SIZE OF THE DOSAGE:

Unsurprisingly, smaller doses of CBD will not stay in your system compared to larger doses. A small dose may well be processed by your body within 12 hours, whereas a more considerable dose, for example 50mg or more, may still be detectible in the body for around a week.  

HOW OFTEN YOU TAKE CBD:

Regular consumption of CBD over several consecutive days or weeks will result in cannabidiol taking longer to leave the body. This is due to a combination of a residual build-up of CBD remaining in your system, combined with variation in tolerance for more regular CBD users.

DIETARY HABITS:

Your eating habits and timings can actually have a significant effect on how CBD gets processed in the body. Taking CBD on an empty stomach or before a meal will result in faster metabolisation. If you take CBD after a meal, this can conversely slow down the metabolisation of the cannabidiol, and result in its presence in your body for longer. 

DOES CBD SHOW UP ON DRUG TESTS?

This is a common but understandable question about CBD; given the association between Cannabidiol and Cannabis, it isn’t unreasonable to raise this point. However, drug tests do not actually test for CBD because it is perfectly legal in the UK.

That being said, it is still important to be careful when purchasing CBD products; drug tests will still be very sensitive to THC (the psychoactive, and illegal, chemical component found in Cannabis). CBD products can contain no more than 0.2% THC in the UK, but unfortunately there have been many companies reported that do not adhere to this requirement. That is why it is absolutely essential to make sure there are clear lab reports published for any CBD product you purchase - this will not only give you peace of mind that there is no THC present in the product, but also demonstrates that the brand behind it are willing to invest in quality.