Humans are inherently conscious beings. We want to know everything, so we ask questions. Whether you’re just getting started with ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil or already have some experience, certain questions will start popping up in your head sooner or later.
One of these questions is “how long does ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil stay in my system?â€�
While ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº doesn’t have intoxicating properties like THC, it does get stored in the body. Common drug tests only screen for THC, but some people may still want to know how long ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil will last in their bodies.
Although the US government legalized hemp-derived ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº products thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, scientists are still trying to figure out how ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº interacts with the body, as well as the time its metabolites will be stored in a person’s system.
In this article, we’ll explain how ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº works in the body, the time it needs to leave it, and why it’s highly unlikely that it will show up on a drug test.
How Long Does Hemp ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Oil Stay in Your System?
There is no universal timeframe for the time ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil will stay in your system. Research is quite limited in this subject, and different factors can impact this duration.
We can distinguish 5 variables that come into play when it comes to determining how long ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº stays in your body:
The Amount of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Used
Usually, ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº should be gone from the system in about a day when talking about single-use. The higher the dose, the more time your body will need to flush it out.
Frequency of Use
How often you consume ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº also determines how long it will stay in your system. ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº builds up in the body over time if you use it regularly. This is why we suggest using it at least for a week to see how it affects your body and whether or not it works for you. If you’re an occasional user, it will leave your body faster.
Your Body
Everyone has unique body chemistry, which would explain why ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº and other active substances can affect people differently. Your metabolism, water content, body mass index, and diet can also influence how long ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº will stay in your system.
Taking ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº on Full/Empty Stomach
How much you eat, how often, and what you eat matter as well. If you take ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº along with a meal, it will be metabolized and eliminated slower than it does when you take it on an empty stomach.
Consumption Method
ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº can be consumed in a few ways. The method you choose impacts everything from the onset and duration of effects to the time it remains in your system.
You can find ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº in the following forms:
- Sublingual drops (oils and tinctures)
- Pills and softgel capsules
- Edibles (e.g. gummies)
- Vape liquid
- Topicals (creams and lotions)
The fastest way to deliver ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº into your system is through vaping. Vaporization takes effect quickly and leaves the body in a similar time manner. Oils and tinctures have a slower onset but the effects linger longer. Edibles and topicals provide long-lasting, gradual relief at the cost of delayed onset. Oral products can take anywhere between 40–120 minutes to kick in.
What Does Research Say About the Time ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Stays in One’s System?

As we mentioned earlier, there aren’t many studies covering the subject of how long ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil stays in a person’s system. Below we highlight the most important findings to date.
In a published in Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior, researchers analyzed the levels of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº after high doses administered daily. The research team used a daily dose of 700 milligrams of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº on 14 Huntington’s disease patients. One week after the experiment stopped, the ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº concentrations were measured at just 1.5 nanograms per milliliter. The researchers concluded that ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº levels were “virtually undetectableâ€� at that time.
A randomized, double-blind controlled published in the journal Therapeutic Drug Monitoring tested volunteers who took a cannabis extract with 1.35 mg of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº and 2.5 mg of THC. The research team found that ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº wasn’t detectable after nine hours of ingestion.
In a, researchers found that the estimated half-life of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº was two to five days for those who took it orally. Other forms of consumption resulted in varying half-lives.
What Does Half-Life Mean?
The half-life of a drug or compound is a common unit in medicine to determine the time it takes for 50% of the initial dose of a compound to leave one’s system.
Here’s how the half-life of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº works based on the assumption that the half-life of 10 mg ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº is 3 hours.
- 1 hour after ingestion: ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº reaches peak levels of 10 mg
- 3 hours (first half-life): There’s only 5 mg of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº in the body
- 6 hours (second half-life): You have only 2.5 mg of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº in your body
- 9 hours (third half-life): Only 1.25 mg of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº remains in the body
- 12 hours: (fourth half-life): 0.62 mg of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº is left in the body
As mentioned, the half-life varies depending on the route of administration and the frequency of use.
How Long Do the Effects of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Oil Last?
The consumption method is paramount when it comes to determining how long it will take to feel the effects of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº and how long they will stay with you.
Ingested ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº
Ingestion is the most common consumption method for ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº products. Eating a ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº gummy bear, capsule, or swallowing a few drops of tinctures is certainly an effective way to draw from the benefits of this therapeutic compound. However, oral ingestion is not necessarily the fastest way to deliver ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº into your system. Swallowing ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº prevents it from entering the bloodstream directly. Instead, ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº has to pass through the digestive tract and the liver, where it gets broken down before reaching your endocannabinoid system.
This phenomenon is known as the “first-pass effect,â€� where enzymes in the liver lower the concentration of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº before its remaining amounts are finally sent to the bloodstream and can circulate in your body. While oral consumption is common among on-the-go users and those who don’t like the taste of natural ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil, this method provides the lowest bioavailability. Only 5% of swallowed ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº ends up in your system.
The delayed onset — between 40–90 minutes — also ensures the gradual release of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº into the bloodstream, so you can experience its therapeutic effects longer, usually up to 6–8 hours.
Sublingual ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº
Sublingual use is more efficient than ingestion because ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº doesn’t pass through the digestive tract. Instead, it is absorbed under the tongue through a complex network of blood vessels, where it can directly reach the bloodstream. Sublingual consumption offers higher bioavailability (around 35%) and ensures faster effects. These should take hold within 15–30 minutes after consumption and can last between 4–6 hours.
Inhaled ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº
Inhalation offers the highest bioavailability of all consumption methods, with up to 56% of inhaled ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº ending up in your bloodstream. Whether you’re smoking a high-ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº flower or taking a puff from your ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº vape pen, the mechanism of interaction remains the same. When ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº is pulled into the lungs, the cannabinoids get absorbed through the lung tissue, where they can rapidly enter the bloodstream and start circulating in your system.
Current evidence shows that ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº reaches its peak blood levels within three minutes after inhalation, meaning you can feel the effects almost right away. However, this method also provides the shortest duration of effects; they tend to last up to 3 hours after inhalation.
Topical ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº
Topical ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº is available in many forms, including creams, salves, gels, lotions, and other skincare products. These products are designed for localized relief; you can apply them directly to the skin, where they get absorbed through its surface and engage with cannabinoid receptors in the deeper layers of the skin. Due to the low cannabinoid absorption rate of the skin, some ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº topicals call for a liberal application.
Can ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Oil Show Up on a Drug Test?

In most cases, it’s a clear “No.�
Most drug tests are made to look specifically for the presence of THC metabolites or other illicit substances. Moreover, employers must stay compliant with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) guidelines, which don’t include the detection of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº.
Remember that even hemp-derived ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº products may contain up to 0.3% THC — this is the federally accepted limit.
This could raise doubts in some ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº-curious consumers who don’t want to take any THC in their product or are worried about failing a drug test due to the presence of THC in their bloodstream.
However, the chances of testing false-positive for THC from using hemp extracts are very low. You would need to take massive doses of full-spectrum ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil — around 1,000 – 2,000 milligrams daily) to risk failing a drug test.
If you are extra cautious about taking any amount of THC in your ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil, you can switch to a broad-spectrum product or one that contains pure ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº isolate. Broad-spectrum ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº still contains other non-psychoactive cannabinoids and terpenes (but without THC), whereas isolate is void of any compounds other than ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº.
To make sure you’re getting a product with a declared amount of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº and THC, only purchase from reputable retailers who can provide third-party lab reports from the product’s content analysis.
In case you found yourself in that rare situation and tested positive for THC after taking ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil, you can try to explain it to your employer and request another screening.
How Long Does ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Stay in the Urine?
There’s limited research on how long ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº stays in one’s urine. In a 2016 study, researchers from Pacific Toxicology Laboratories in California administered different ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº-rich cannabis products to a controlled group of 15 volunteers.
After two hours from the administration, 14 out of 15 participants tested positive for ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº and THC metabolites. The research team followed one participant after the last day of treatment to find out that he needed only 24 hours to flush ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº out of his body.
Does ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Interact With Other Drugs?
Yes, ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº-drug interactions are a real thing. It may either speed up or prolong the time it takes to get rid of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº from the body.
ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº is both a substrate and inhibitor of CYP450 enzymes, which are responsible for metabolizing active substances in drugs. Therefore, it could interfere with the metabolism of many drugs.
If you take any medication, we recommend that you consult your doctor to avoid potential interactions and maximize the results of your supplementation.
What About Breastfeeding? Will ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Pass Into Your Baby’s System?
Doctors don’t recommend using ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº while breastfeeding. According to gynecologists, you should avoid using ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº for at least 1 week before you start breastfeeding.
The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) strongly opposes the use of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº during breastfeeding due to the lack of thorough research on the effects of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº on breastfed babies. We only know that some ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº can pass into a baby’s bloodstream through milk.
Until experts know more, it’s safe to avoid using ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Summing it All Up: How Long Does ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Oil Stay In Your System?
Single-use of low-to-moderate doses of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº doesn’t stay in your system for more than one day. Even high doses of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº should be out of your body within a week.
However, if you’re a regular user, ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº may take a week or more to get completely flushed out of the body. This is caused by the fact that ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº levels tend to build up over time in the bloodstream and fat tissue.
How long ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº oil will stay in your system depends on several factors, including dosage, frequency of use, consumption method, and the use of other medications.
Factors such as age, weight, and metabolism are also important for estimating the time ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº leaves your body.