It's only natural to experiment, or maybe you ate a brownie without realizing what was in it. Whatever the reason, the obvious question now is how it will affect a drug test. You may have heard some scary things about marijuana sticking around in your system, but is it really that bad? How long does it take a one-time use of a marijuana brownie to clear your system? Is there a difference between smoking and eating marijuana? Can you still
pass a drug test?
Smoking vs. eating marijuana
To start things off, does it make a difference that you ingested marijuana rather than smoked it? In a way it does, but it has more to do with the effects at the time rather than how long it may stay in your body. This is because the THC in marijuana goes through two very different processes in your body depending on how you use it.
When you smoke marijuana, the effects hit you within a minute or two and usually persist for one to three hours. When you eat a food containing marijuana, however, it can take anywhere between half an hour to two hours before you feel high. The effects then last much longer than with smoking, with the high being generally more intense and the comedown being more gradual than it is after smoking.
So, how does this affect a drug test? Well, because you didn't feel the effects straight away, you may have eaten more than you really needed to. This means more THC in your body, which means it may take a little longer to get it out.
How long does it take a one-time use of a marijuana brownie to clear your system?
As it was just a one-time use, the horror stories of failing drug tests several weeks later are not really applicable here. It takes regular marijuana use for it to start building up in your system.That said, you're not safe yet. Depending on how much marijuana you took, it can take anywhere between one to six days for it to clear your system. Your body's efficiency is a factor in this, but it largely depends on how much marijuana was in that brownie. Remember when we said how easy it is to overdo it when eating marijuana? If you really felt the effects, there's a good chance you had a fairly high dose.
Passing a drug test
If you're not immediately worried about any drug tests, you could just detox for a week. This should be enough time for your body to expel most of the THC metabolites. If you want to be absolutely sure, you could always test yourself at home.
If a drug test is coming sooner than that, you may want to invest in a detox drink for a urine drug test or a special mouthwash for saliva drug tests. Both these products are easy to use, but always be sure to closely follow the directions.
