Ask any stoner and he will tell you exactly how effective a couple of hits of marijuana can be, especially if it is high-quality weed.
As a personal experience, I can bet that most of them would agree that two or three puffs are all we need to get a much-needed high.
But what about its effects? How long do you think that marijuana can last in your system when you’ve only had a few puffs to smoke?
While the question seems rather insignificant; it becomes important if you have a drug test or medical examination to pass.
And the answer is- it depends!
Weed can last in your body for days, weeks, and even months depending on how often you use it.
For an average individual, smoking weed less than twice a week can expose you to positive results in a drug test for up to 2-3 days.
A person who uses cannabis several times a week can contain and show its traces upon investigation for as long as 3 weeks.
Daily stoners on the other hand can feel its effects at all times and might show the same for a month or even longer after the last smoke.
Apart from the frequency, the method of consumption is yet another important ingredient that affects the duration of its presence in our systems.
In that, eating is perhaps the slowest. Nonetheless, weed consumed through eating or drinking can still show-up in a drug test for as long as 5 days or so depending on the amount of THC and other cannabinoids taken.
In short, the duration for which weed stays in your system depends upon the amount, method, and frequency of consumption along with your physical as well as the mental state.
Yet, after all that, more than drugs, it is the drug-tests that spoil careers!
Speaking of which, there are plenty of ways in which cannabis can be detected in your system.
Marijuana Testing Methods and Detection Times
As sober as you may look upon consuming marijuana, there are several ways in which weed can still be detected in your system, thanks to technology!
From your blood to saliva to stool, anything can be used to perform a drug test for weed.
Here’s how effective each of these marijuana testing methods are:
- Blood Test being the most common and simplest form of drug test can reveal the cannabis content in your system for about 12 hours or so.
- Saliva Test is yet another important testing method that involves checking your saliva for any amount of weed concentration. At best, it can find out the traces of weed for upto 24 hours after your last smoke.
- Urine Test, on the other hand, can detect it for as long as 30 days or a month.
- Hair Follicle Test is the most advanced type of drug test for scrutiny of weed in your system. Connected directly to your blood vessels, hair follicles are found through the majority of our skin except for our palms and soles. Regardless, as the most effective method of testing marijuana, it can detect THC for a staggering 90 days.
THC is the main psychoactive compound found in cannabis that is responsible for making you feel ‘high’. As infamous as it is for its psychoactive effects, THC is also quite viscous.
As a sticky and fat-soluble compound, it can bind with our fatty tissues in the form of metabolites faster than it can be burned or consumed by our metabolism.
Moreover, the accumulated amount of it is slowly released back into the bloodstream whenever your body is in need of THC and other cannabinoids that are found naturally in our systems in limited or required quantities.
As such, the cycle continues, and the THC stays in your system for longer than expected or anticipated.
How Long do the Effects of Weed Last?
While the psychoactive effects of cannabis can last for up to hours or days at best, its chemical compound, namely THC can remain in your body for a much longer period in an inactive state (meaning they won’t cause you any ‘high’).
Better known as metabolites, these are tiny bits of THC that have been broken down by the system to be released again into the bloodstream should the need occur.
As inactive as they are, it is these metabolites that stick to your fatty acids and stay there for long, only to be detected by a drug test like that of urine (what a tragedy!).
In any case, it is these metabolites that are tested for in a drug test in the first place as the sole physical proof of cannabis in your body.
To get rid of these metabolites and have a safe drug test, here’s what you can do:
- Drink ample water.
- Eat healthy.
- Workout regularly.
- Have a cranberry or lemon juice by your side.
- Try an apple cider vinegar instead.
- Turn to THC-detoxification methods such as drinks, pills, and shampoo if there’s an emergency situation to flood out the extra weed from your system.
However, if you want to avoid all that fuss and have a safe and sound experience every time, then it is better to get familiar with the Dos and Don’ts of consuming marijuana well before starting out.
Factors Affecting the Duration of Weed Effects
As I explained above, there are many factors that can change the overall effects of smoking pot.
To help you get familiar with your weed, let us talk about each of them in a bit more detail.
1. Amount or Dosage is the most important factor when it comes to feeling the effects of marijuana. The higher the dosage, the more intense your experience is going to be, given it has the right potency.
2. Potency or quality of weed is the second most important factor that comes to picture when coming to terms with the after-effects of marijuana. The more potent the stuff, the higher the high and the longer the duration of its effects.
3. Frequency of consuming weed is yet another important factor that can increase the duration of weed effects in your body and mind. As stated above, daily smokers who tend to use weed several times a day are more prone to showing the physical, psychoactive, and chemical effects of marijuana.
4. Method of consumption can also play a vital role in defining the kind of effects you’re going to have and for how long you’ll experience them.
Smoking and vaping being the fastest, bonging and dabbing being the most effective, and eating and drinking being the slowest yet the safest. Apart from that, there are certain tinctures and oils that are meant to be taken sublingually, meaning by applying them under the tongue.
5. Individual state of mind and physical strength also makes a lot of difference in the way marijuana reacts with your system. Mainly, your hydration level and your diet.
Apart from that your emotional state of being, which can either give you joy and euphoria after smoking marijuana or feelings of displeasure should you be too depressed or in trauma.
6. And finally, the Rate of release or absorption of THC metabolites and other cannabinoids can also vary from person to person. This in turn also affects the effects and the duration of those effects.
For instance, a person who tends to work out heavy and stays proactive in life might not have a hard time digesting weed or bearing its long lasting effects. Whereas, someone who’s lazy or procrastinating all the time may not be able to make the most out of weed and its recreational and therapeutic benefits.
So when using weed, it’s important to know your way around it. In fact, for any drugs including weed and other psychedelics, you have to have some discipline in life and a safe way out when needed.
Tips to Control the Effects of Weed
As hard-hitting as your favorite flower can be, using weed is all about being conscious.
If you think your last session was too strong, then reducing the amount of weed in your next joint might help.
Other than that, here’s what you should do:
- Relax or lay back for a while if the puffs were too intense.
- Breathe or listen to your favorite tracks as it can help you chill.
- Drink water or some beverage if you have a dry or cottonmouth.
- Switch to CBD if your goal is to gain medicinal or herbal effects of cannabis.
- Sniff or chew some black pepper to overcome the paranoia.
- Squeeze some lemon into a lemonade or eat it raw for instant calming effects.
- Eat some pine nuts as it can help you calm down and improve clarity.
- Have a snack or munchie as it helps digest weed and boosts your appetite.
- Go for a run, walk, or do some exercises.
- Talk to your friends and family. Just interact with someone as the idea is to distract yourself from the high that’s taking place inside your head.
- Learn or practice an instrument. If not anything else, smoking weed does improve your focus.
Indulging in an activity, work, or hobby is perhaps the best thing that you can do after smoking weed so as to channel and put its effects to good use.
On that note, have a happy and productive pot smoking.
