The popularity of CBD oil has exploded in recent years, with 6.4 million CBD Google searches last year alone. A whopping 160.4% increase from the year before. To put that into perspective, for every two Google searches for the word “diet,” there is one for “CBD.”

Furthermore, an estimated 7% of Americans are currently using CBD, which is naturally extracted from hemp plants, and this figure is set to rise 10% by 2025, making this massive industry worth a colossal $16 billion.

From CBD tinctures to CBD supplements, CBD lotions to CBD-infused snacks, the country is going mad for all these products that include CBD.

Although, currently legal in most states of the U.S, there is still an element of concern among some Americans about the fact that CBD oil does come from the cannabis plant and may still be seen as a drug by their employers.

Fortunately, if you are worried about drug screening, or concerned that you may fail a drug test after taking CBD oil or another CBD product, the below article should put your mind at rest.

What is CBD oil?

There is a fair bit of confusion around CBD with labels, such as THC free, CBD isolate and broad spectrum CBD, making people even more puzzled about what they can and can’t safely take.

Thankfully, once you know a little bit more about CBD and what it contains, you can ensure that the CBD products you choose are safe and with a high degree of probability will not show up on a drug test – because drug tests generally test for THC compounds, while most CBD products have either almost zero or no THC in them to begin with.

CBD comes from cannabis which itself contains hundreds of naturally occurring compounds including:

• Cannabinoids
• Terpenes
• Flavonoids 

However, it is vital to know that even though marijuana and hemp products are both derived from the cannabis plant, they contain different amounts of THC, the component that makes marijuana psychoactive.

Hemp-derived CBD products are required legally to contain less than 0.3% THC, meaning [JQ1] you might enjoy some benefits of CBD without feeling “high.”

Up until quite recently, the Food and Drug Administration [JQ2] only approved CBD as a drug to treat seizures that are caused by two rare and severe forms of epilepsy. However, now it has also approved Epidiolox (CBD) for treating seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

When looking to buy CBD, you will notice that CBD extracts are normally labeled in one of three ways:

• Full spectrum CBD

Full spectrum CBD products include CBD, terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids such as THC, but the THC is at trace levels only.

• Broad spectrum CBD

Similar to full spectrum CBD, this type of CBD extract contains terpenes and other cannabinoids. However, all the THC is removed during the production process.

• CBD isolate

Also known as pure CBD, CBD isolate does not contain additional compounds from the hemp plant. Plus, it should not contain THC. Iso hemp oil is becoming increasingly popular for those wanting a pure and safe way to take CBD that is THC-free. 

What does this mean for drug screening?

If you are concerned about testing positive for THC, you should know that you generally can have trace very low level amounts of THC in your system and still pass a drug test. This is because federal workplace drug testing allows for trace amounts of THC or THC-COOH, one of its main metabolites.

Therefore, you can test positive for the presence of THC and still obtain a negative drug test as long as the amount of THC is below the cut-off value.

That being said, different methods of testing can have different cut-off values.

Urine Tests

Urine testing for cannabis is quite common in the workplace in the United States. Fortunately, this screening test will only trigger a positive result if the THC is present at a concentration of 50 nanograms per milliliter. One nanogram is about one-billionth of a gram.

Blood Tests

Much less common as a means of drug screening for cannabis in the workplace, a blood test is much more likely to be used in cases such as driving under the influence. THC is only detectable in your blood plasma for up to five hours, although THC metabolites can be present for up to seven days.

Saliva & Hair Tests

These two methods of drug confirmatory tests are incredibly uncommon in the workplace. THC is only detectable in oral fluids for around 72 hours, although, for heavy users of cannabis, they may be detectable for longer. THC might be detectable in hair for up to 90 days. However, most industry cut-offs include one picogram per milligram of THC. A picogram is about one-trillionth of a gram.

Is it possible to get a false positive result?

If someone tests positive for cannabis or THC on a drug screening test but they have not used cannabis or have used THC free CBD oil, there are several other possible explanations.

These include:

• Second-hand marijuana smoke
• Weight loss pills that contain Phentermine
• Eating poppy seeds
• Antidepressants such as Sertraline
• Antibiotics – in very rare cases, certain antibiotics such as Rifampin may cause a false positive result.
• CBD oils that contain too much THC and are not lab-tested to make sure they are below 0.3% THC by content, or alternatively THC-free.

Although some states in the United States allow CBD oil or CBD edibles to have up to 5% THC, these may result in you testing positive for marijuana. When choosing your CBD brand, it is a good idea to first check the lab results of their products, which should be regularly published on their website. Know what you are putting in your body so that you will have less chance of unexpected drug testing issues later.

How do I ensure that I don’t fail a drug test when taking CBD?

If you are interested in the possibility that you might benefit from taking CBD oil, but you are worried about testing positive for the presence of THC, then there are several courses of action that you can take:

• Check for third-party testing: Only purchase CBD oil or CBD products from a company that has had their products tested by another lab.
• Look for clear labeling: A reputable CBD supplier will be transparent with the ingredients in their products so that you know exactly how much THC you are taking.
• Research dosing:If you are new to CBD, it is advisable to start with a small dose and gradually increase if and when needed.
• Check for contact information: Beware of any company that does not provide contact details. You should be able to ask questions about what you are taking, plus, if there is no company information on the bottle, they are more likely to be providing an unmonitored product. 

Check out our extensive range of high quality and third-party lab tested, organically grown THC free CBD oil and products, or get in touch with us today.

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