Maybe you’re reading this because you ate too many edibles and are now desperate to know how long you have until the worst of it passes. Or perhaps you have a drug test coming up for a new job and you’re doing mental calculations trying remember how long ago you ate a cannabis edible. Whatever the situation is, rest assured. You are not the only one asking the question “How long do edibles stay in your system?”M
At The Spot 420’s Trinidad dispensary and Pueblo, Colorado dispensaries, we’ve got a wide selection of Colorado edibles that people from all over the state and country come to peruse. So naturally, we get this question often. If you’re wondering how long will an edible stay in your system, we’ve got answers coming right up.
How Long Does an Edible Stay in Your System?
If you’re stressing over how long will an edible stay in your system, the first thing to understand is there really isn’t any exact science on the topic. It depends on the dose and type of edible, plus your own body’s chemistry and metabolism. Some bodies simply process cannabis faster than others.
To give a very general answer to the question of how long does an edible stay in your system, it’s safe to say the effects can last for anywhere from two to 24 hours. And the THC from a cannabis edible can remain in your blood, urine or saliva for 24 hours to three months. We realize those aren’t very satisfying or specific, so let’s dive into a little more detail.
How Long do Different Types of Edibles Stay in Your System?
As mentioned above, how long does an edible stay in your system and keep you high greatly depends on the type of edible you consume. Because different categories of edibles are metabolized in different ways by the body, some will cycle through more quickly than others. Before we jump in, it’s important to note that these time estimates can vary greatly person to person and are totally dependent on the dose.
- Weed brownies, cookies, Colorado gummy bears or any other food items are absorbed by the body through the digestive tract, also known as gastrointestinal absorption. These tend to take longer to set in (an hour to an hour and a half) than the other types of edibles on this list. On the other hand, they tend to stay in your system longer with prolonged effects, even up to eight hours in some cases.
- Marijuana tinctures, hard candies, lozenges or anything you keep in your mouth for a while are absorbed sublingually, also known as oral uptake. These tend to be the most fast-acting form of edibles, hitting your system within 15 to 20 minutes, maybe even less. The effects only last two to three hours though. These are nice when you need immediate, short highs but don’t want to smoke or vape.
- Cannabis drinks are a newer form of 420 edibles that have been really gaining popularity recently at both of our recreational dispensaries in Pueblo, Colorado and our Trinidad dispensary. Maybe that’s because these types of edibles are kind of the best of both worlds. Because cannabis infused drinks are absorbed into your system both orally and gastrointestinally, their effects set in quickly but last in your system for five to six hours.
Do Edibles Stay In Your System Longer Than Smoking?
In short, smoked cannabis hits your system and cycles out of it faster than 420 edibles. That’s because smoking cannabis sends THC straight to the brain and you start to immediately feel the high and its subsequent effects (muscle relaxation, stress relief, etc.). But interestingly enough, when you smoke cannabis more THC is actually sent to you system than when you eat edibles. If you are a daily smoker it can take just as long to clear your system of THC as it would if you ate edibles often.
How Long Do Edibles Stay in Your System: Drug Tests
Asking how long does an edible stay in your system making you high is a very different question than how long does edible THC stays in your system for a drug test. If you’re reading this article not because you’re too high right now after eating a few too many edibles, but because you have a drug test coming up here’s what you should know.
If you’re stressing over how long will an edible stay in your system, that answer depends on a few things:
- Your body mass index
- Your metabolism
- How often you eat 420 edibles
- How strong the doses are
Generally speaking, the more edibles you eat, the longer they will be in your system to show up on a drug test. For the not-so-often consumer, traces of an edible can last in your system for a week. Consistent edible eaters can expect traces of edibles to stay in their system for anywhere from one month up to three. And if those are particularly potent edibles, you can expect that to lean towards the three-month end.
But it also depends on what kind of drug test is being administered. Urine tests can trace remnants of THC from three months ago if you’re a daily consumer.. For a blood test, a casual user might have cannabis in their system for up to three days and heavy users can expect that timeline to be closer to seven. If a saliva sample is taken, THC can be detected from 24-72 hours ago and in some cases, but not often, up to a week.
If you’re asking yourself, “How long do edibles stay in your system,” remember you’re not the only one asking. It’s a very common question and we hope you found the answers you need here!
