Marijuana Drug Testing

In marijuana drug testing, there are two important substances to keep in mind: THC and 9-carboxy-THC. 9-carboxy-THC is a product of the body's metabolism of THC and, more importantly, it is detectable for a longer period of time than THC is detectable. This is the reason that drug tests, namely urine tests, look for 9-carboxy-THC.

While marijuana itself does not actually stay in the body, some of the chemicals in the drug do. THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the substance in pot that's mainly responsible for people's high, may stay in the body forever — scientists aren't exactly sure. However, THC is only detectable for a certain period of time after using marijuana or being exposed to marijuana smoke.

Compared to other controlled substances, THC is able to stay in a person's system for a relatively long period of time because it is fat-soluble. Being fat-soluble allows it to be stored in fatty tissues of various organs. From here, THC is slowly released and metabolized. This metabolite of THC is then excreted and cleared from a person's system.

Some private companies may use hair tests to detect possible marijuana use. Positive hair test results have been found to be unreliable.

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