Delta-8 THC has quickly gained popularity in its use as one of the best cannabinoids in the market. Because of its low potency and relaxing qualities, its consumption has had an increasing usage among the masses. Compared to Delta 9 THC, it’s mild and is less potent, and safer to consume.
If you’re familiar with Delta 8, you might know that consuming this substance can lead you to fail a drug test. Now you might be wondering, how long does it stay in your system? When does it eventually go away? How do you remove its traces from your body? When does it leave your body entirely?
This article answers all these questions and discusses how the traces of Delta 8 metabolites can be detectable and the time it takes for the substance to clean your system. We will also talk about how it can affect your body if it stays for longer.
What is Delta 8?
Delta 8 THC is a stable and mild form of Delta 9. THC is the compound in cannabis or marijuana that gives you psychoactive effects and gets you high. And since delta 8 is a stable variant of that compound, it provides the benefits of getting you relaxed and energized as opposed to just getting your mind-numbed down with the use of common THC.
Many people use delta-8 along with their prescription medications and believe that it eases discomfort, boosts appetite, lessens nausea, and produces calming effects. But there are limited human studies regarding the safety of delta-8, and there is no evidence about the potential of this substance to treat health conditions.
Unlike Delta-9 THC, Delta 8 is legal in most states, but since both the compounds are identical, it is hard to prove whether you have consumed delta 8 or delta 9 since any form of THC has metabolites that are easily detected by drug tests. Because of that, you’re worried about safely passing drug tests and feel the need to clear any traces of delta 8 in your system. So, how long does it last? We discuss it below.
Does Delta 8 stay in your system for too long?
Whenever you consume a compound, it gets metabolized and stays in different parts of your body, such as urine, hair, and sweat. They retain the metabolites of a drug for varying days and serve as a witness to detect the compounds long after they have been consumed.
There are different drug tests that detect delta-8 metabolites in your system for days after its consumption. Blood and saliva tests can detect delta-8 for up to 2 days, a urine test can detect it for up to 48 days, and hair test can detect the traces of delta-8 in your system for up to 90 days, which is the longest duration since hair follicles retain the metabolites for quite long.
The common conception is that Delta-8 stays in your system anywhere between 2 to 30 days. It can also stay for up to 2 months in some cases. But there are multiple factors that determine the duration of delta-8 being in your systems such as age, weight, gender, and other medications.
It also depends on the type of drug test you take. Even with the average results of these tests, they are not completely accurate and can fall short since there are a lot of factors that contribute to delta-8 remaining in your system for varying periods, which we discuss below.
Frequency of usage
If you’re a first-time user of delta-8, it usually stays in your system for 3-4 days and is cleared away until the next dose. But if you consume delta-8 regularly either as a part of your diet or to seek its pleasing effects, the traces may stay in your system for weeks or months.
Potency of THC
THC potency also has an impact on how long the compound stays in your system. Low doses can have a lesser chance of staying for longer than higher doses of the substance. So basically, products with higher THC concentrations will stay longer than the products with lower THC concentrations.
Since delta is known to have a relatively shorter half-life, the effects of doses and concentration get multiplied by hours and not days.
Age and genetics
It is common knowledge that age affects your body as you get older, and the metabolism also grows weaker. For someone in their 20s and 30s, it takes no longer than 3-4 days to clear delta-8 from their system. Whereas someone who’s in their 60s and 70s might take as long as 6-7 days to clear the same dose of substance due to a weaker immune system.
Your age, metabolism, and genetics play a big role in breaking down substances like delta-8. Your liver has enzymes that metabolize various substances, and the enzyme that helps break down delta-8 is called CYP384.
Like all other enzymes, this enzyme has a different ratio for everyone. Someone with a bigger ratio of this enzyme can have a faster metabolic rate of clearing delta-8 than someone with a lower ratio.
Consumption method
Methods of consumption also play a huge role in how delta-8 is metabolized in your body. There are many ways to consume delta-8 THC. It can be ingested, inhaled, smoked, and vaped.
Inhaling, smoking, or vaping makes the traces of delta-8 disappear at a quicker rate as compared to ingesting, which makes delta-8 stay and act on your body for a longer duration. It’s also noticeable how fast the effects of delta-8 are observable when it is inhaled or smoked.
Other medication or supplements
All medications need to be metabolized, and if you’re taking another supplement along with delta-8, it will result in drug interaction if they both require the same enzymes for their metabolisms. This, in turn, slows down the metabolic rate because your body may prioritize the removal of other substances before working on delta-8.
The enzyme that is involved with delta-8 is also required for the metabolism of other supplements and medications; hence it’s risky to consume delta-8 if you’re also taking other medications as well because it will slow down the rate and process of delta-8 metabolism in your body.
How to clear Delta-8 out of your system?
It goes without saying that the first thing you need to do is steer clear of delta-8 products entirely if there is a drug test coming up in your schedule. Secondly, you’ll need to reestablish your metabolism by drinking plenty of water, having a well-balanced diet, incorporating exercise, and getting a good night’s sleep.
Drinking water and other healthy fluids will help you dilute any THC metabolites in your system. With a balanced and healthy diet, you’ll be able to eliminate any traces of delta-8 with the help of proteins and fibers.
Resting is another way to fasten or improve your metabolism.
Finally, exercise increases blood flow which in turn improves your metabolic rate by flushing out toxins. It also makes you sweat, which helps clear the substance via sweating, which may help reduce the chances of delta-8 showing up on your sweat test.
When do you think you can safely pass a drug test?
So far, you know how you can wipe delta-8 off your system. But to safely pass a drug test, it depends on what kind of screening methods you’re required to take. Your employer may require different drug tests from you, and the most common screening method is urinalysis, which is also federally approved.
Urine tests will need a detox period of 9-10 days before the date of your test since the metabolites can have traces in your waste.
If you’re going for an oral or blood test, it’s best to detox for 3-4 days after delta-8 consumption. This will give you a high chance of passing the test successfully.
Lastly, the hair follicle test is the most tricky one since you’ll need to detox thoroughly for over 3 months before you appear for this test and pass it with success. But since this drug test is quite rare and uncommon to have in workplaces, you’ll be left with other drug screening methods to detect delta-8 metabolites in your system.
Final Words
To conclude, the answer to the question about how long it takes your system to remove delta-8 THC is nowhere as simple or straightforward. It may take varying time for different users since they have different body types, lifestyles, and bodily habits.
Other factors determine how your body reacts to the consumption and duration of stay of delta 8. The time it takes for delta-8 to stay in your body can vary based on how it is consumed and the rate at which your body metabolizes the substance.
With excessive consumption and usage, it can take more time to clear delta 8 off of your system.
With that said, if your work schedules a drug test for employees, you can avoid using delta-8 altogether or start a detox routine to flush out the traces of delta-8.
You should also know that since delta-8 is legalized to use and doesn’t cause potential side effects or high like other forms of THC, you may want to discuss this with your employer to avoid any hassle.
Jennifer Kurtz is a founder of KratomGuides.com and studied medicine at the New Jersey School of Medicine (Rutgers). She is passionate about developing her knowledge of Kratom, and nutritional supplements. In addition to attending medical webinars and conferences, she loves to write research-based articles for magazines, healthcare professionals, and medical agencies. Jennifer is always looking to develop her knowledge for the Kratom through scientific researches and frequently asked questions of customers looking to buy kratom from reliable sources.