Will CBD Show Up on a Drug Test?

CBD is derived from hemp, a specific strain of the cannabis sativa plant, or from cannabis that contains THC. According to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), hemp-derived CBD should not contain more than 0.3% THC, but product testing reveals that it can sometimes exceed this federal legal limit. Most drug tests detect THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, not CBD. Depending on the frequency of use, THC can be detected in a test from a few days for a single use or for a month for heavy marijuana smokers on a daily basis.

However, people who use CBD may not pass a drug test due to contamination with THC or incorrect labeling. How long something has been in your body also influences whether or not it will appear in a drug test. Broad-spectrum CBD oil is a midpoint between full-spectrum isolated CBD with THC and isolated (but rather hollow) CBD without THC. If you get CBD oil that comes from hemp and uses isolated CBD or broad-spectrum CBD, you'll almost certainly be fine when it comes time to get tested for drugs.

In some cases, drug tests may also include a blood test, but are more commonly performed as toxicology tests in hospitals for specific medical reasons. When the Food and Drug Administration tested several CBD products, approximately 70% contained more or less CBD than advertised, while some did not contain CBD. But even if the test is for THC only, both isolated and broad-spectrum CBD can often be cross-contaminated with THC, mainly due to unreliable hemp processors and the lack of quality control procedures. In theory, getting a false positive on a drug test with CBD oil should be relatively impossible if pure CBD oil contains less than 0.3% THC.

People who want to prevent THC tests from testing positive for a drug test should purchase CBD products from reliable sources that can confirm that the product does not contain THC.

Claudette Bulkin
Claudette Bulkin

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