In general, weed can stay in your saliva from 24 up to 72 hours, depending on a variety of personal factors and consumption habits, and this timeframe can be significantly longer for chronic users. That’s why knowing about every detail that influences the retention of drugs in saliva should allow you to make informed decisions and act accordingly in case you have to pass a saliva drug test. And let us tell you, that’s a very important thing in the modern world where drug tests have already become commonplace in a wide variety of settings.
Weed is a common word for cannabis or marijuana, a plant quite famous among the general public for its mind-altering properties, recreational and medicinal uses, and relatively easy availability. One of the most important things you should know about weed is that it owes its psychoactive properties to the active ingredient called tetrahydrocannabinol or simply THC. And it’s THC in saliva that drug tests try to detect.
However, the consumption of weed can be inappropriate in many situations, such as driving a car, providing customer services, or operating heavy machinery. That’s why employers or authorities may sometimes require you to pass a drug test for weed. Since saliva tests are cheap and easy to perform, this test type is most commonly used to detect weed in the human body.
In this article, we will provide a detailed explanation of the factors that influence weed retention in saliva and weed detection times for different types of users, as well as briefly explain how saliva drug tests work and how to beat them. Keep reading to make sure that saliva drug testing doesn’t become a nasty surprise for you!
What Factors Influence the Retention of Weed in Saliva?
As we already mentioned, the time for which weed stays in your saliva depends on a variety of personal factors and consumption habits, including the frequency of weed use, weed dosage and potency, metabolism, physical activity, hydration level, body mass index (BMI), overall health, gender, and age. Let’s discuss the impact of each factors in greater detail, so you could roughly determine for how long weed may stay in your saliva:
1. Frequency of Use
As a rule, the more often you consume weed, the more it accumulates in your system and the longer it stays in your saliva. Therefore, the saliva of regular users will retain THC for up to 7 days compared to just 3 days for occasional ones.
2. Weed Dosage and Potency
Similar to the previous point, the consumption of large amounts of weed or weed of higher potency will cause THC to stay in your saliva for a longer time. Consuming less potent weed will contribute to the shorter time of THC retention in saliva.
3. Metabolism
The higher your metabolic rate, the faster your system can get rid of THC in a natural way. People with a fast metabolism can expect weed to stay in their saliva for significantly shorter periods.
4. Physical Activity
Scientific evidence gained from the research “Exercise drives metabolic integration between muscle, adipose and liver metabolism and protects against aging-related diseases“ suggests that exercising tends to improve a person’s metabolic rate. Thus, it can speed up the removal of toxins such as THC from your saliva.
5. Hydration Level
Keeping yourself properly hydrated is key to improving toxin elimination. That’s why a sufficient daily liquid intake allows decreasing the concentration of THC in your saliva and reducing the time it stays in your mouth.
6. Body Mass Index (BMI)
According to the evidence-based book “Textbook of Obesity: Biological, Psychological and Cultural Influences”, a higher BMI is often associated with a slower metabolism. Moreover, THC is a fat-soluble substance, which means that it’s accumulated in the fat tissue and then slowly released into the system, eventually contaminating your saliva. So it comes as no surprise that individuals with weed can stay in the saliva much longer in individuals with a high BMI.
7. Overall Health
People with certain health conditions may suffer from impaired ability of their bodies to naturally get rid of toxins such as THC. A regular intake of specific medications can further reduce this ability. As a result, weed tends to stay in the saliva of overall healthy people for shorter periods.
8. Gender
The research “Sex Differences in Energy Metabolism Need to Be Considered with Lifestyle Modifications in Humans” suggests that women generally have a lower metabolic rate and a higher BMI compared to men. Thus, weed may stay in the saliva of women significantly longer.
9. Age
As a rule, your metabolism gradually slows down as you get older. Additionally, older adults tend to have various chronic health conditions that further decrease the ability of their bodies to eliminate toxins like THC. That’s why the older you are, the longer weed stays in your saliva.
For How Long Does THC Stay in Saliva After Weed Use?
Generally, THC can be detected in saliva for 1-3 days after marijuana consumption. However, the detection window, a term which describes the amount of time for which drug tests can find the traces of drugs in your system, for heavy users can be significantly longer, lasting up to 7 days or even more in some cases. Let’s take a look at weed detection windows for light, moderate, regular, and heavy users:
- Light users: 12-72 hours
- Moderate users (1-2 times a week): 24-72 hours
- Regular users (every day): 5-7 days
- Heavy users (several times a day): more than 7 days, even up to 30 days in rare cases
Does the Form of Weed Consumption Influence Weed Detection Time in Saliva?
Yes, it does. The method of weed consumption produces a significant impact on weed retention, so THC can remain in your saliva for a different period based on whether you smoke it, use a vax pen, or consume various edibles like cupcakes and gummy bears. Let’s take a closer look at the impact of weed consumption method on THC retention time in saliva in detail:
- Smoking: When you smoke weed, THC enters your system and appears in saliva almost instantly. On the bright side, it also clears from your saliva quite quickly.
- Vaping: This method of weed consumption is largely similar to smoking. THC both appears in your saliva and clears from it relatively fast.
- Consuming edibles: When you consume weed in this manner, it takes THC quite a while to enter your system and it does so over a fairly long period of time. As a result, it takes some time for THC to appear in your saliva and it remains detectable much longer.
Can Secondhand Weed Smoking Contribute to Positive Test Results?
In general, secondhand smoking can’t affect your test results. Want to know why? Simply put, you won’t inhale enough THC for it to affect your system. And any THC you do inhale this way will rapidly become undetectable due to its extremely low concentration in your system. However, secondhand smoking can lead to positive test results in some extremely rare cases. In order for this to occur, you need to stay in a very confined space with practically zero ventilation where several people engage in non-stop smoking for at least several hours. As you can see, this scenario can hardly be called realistic.
What Else Do People Usually Want to Know About the Length of Weed Detection in Saliva?
There are several additional questions that people tend to ask about weed detection in saliva on the Internet that haven’t been covered in this article yet. Let’s take a brief look at each of them:
How Long Does THC Stay in Your Body?
It can stay in your body for a different period of time based on your personal characteristics like metabolism, gender, and age. In the context of saliva drug testing, it’s important to remember that THC stays in your body for up to 3 days, unless you’re a heavy user. In the latter case, it remains detectable for up to 30 days. If you have to take a different type of drug test (blood, urine, or hair), the detection time of THC can be significantly different.
If I Smoke Once a Week, How Long Till I’m Clean?
If you just have a smoke once in a while, THC can last in your saliva for 12-72 hours, depending on certain personal factors like your metabolism, level of daily physical activity, and overall health. There are also certain methods that can help you eliminate THC faster, decreasing the saliva drug test detection period.
What Can You Do To Get Rid of Weed in Saliva Faster?
There are several methods that can help you achieve this goal, including home remedies, special detox products, and long-term abstinence. We will discuss each of them in this article a bit later.
Why Is Weed Detectable in Saliva After Use?
This happens because weed contains a psychoactive substance called THC that affects your body and brain. THC can be detected by special saliva drug tests until it’s completely removed from your system. We will discuss these tests in greater detail in the next section, so stay put.
What Is a Saliva Drug Test for Weed?
A saliva drug test, which is also commonly called a mouth swab drug test or oral fluid test, is a special medical procedure aimed at detecting the presence of THC in saliva. These tests are quick, cheap ($10-$20 for standard and up to $50 for advanced ones), painless, and extremely easy to perform, which makes them a preferred choice for many employers and authorities in various situations. Now let’s take a look at a standard procedure of a saliva drug test for THC:
- A swab is placed between your cheeks and gums
- The swab is then moved around your mouth to collect a proper saliva sample
- Finally, the swab is removed and sealed in a container for further analysis
- The saliva sample is either analyzed on the spot or sent to a lab for a more detailed analysis
Analyzing a saliva sample on-site takes just a couple of minutes, so the results are usually available almost instantly. On the other hand, thorough lab testing can take up to several days. We should also warn you that saliva drug tests can detect not only weed, but other substances like cocaine or opiates as well.
When Do You Have to Pass a Saliva Drug Test for Weed?
As already mentioned, you may have to pass a weed saliva test due to the requirements of employers or authorities in a variety of situations related to your professional activities and legal issues. In particular, such tests are often used for random workplace testing to quickly check if any employees consume weed without spending too much money. Saliva drug tests are also commonly used after workplace and traffic accidents to determine whether the actions of involved individuals were influenced by marijuana use. Additionally, probationers have to regularly pass these tests to prove their compliance with probation terms. Failing a test in any of the situations mentioned can lead to negative consequences, ranging from suspension and fines to unemployment and even imprisonment.
How to Remove Weed from Saliva?
There are many methods that can be used to remove weed from your saliva, including home remedies, special detox mouthwashes, and prolonged abstinence. We should note that their ease of use, effectiveness, and cost may vary significantly. That’s why we propose you to take a closer look at each of them:
1. Home Remedies
The list of home remedies used to pass a saliva drug test includes numerous methods, with the most popular ones being sour candies, mint chewing gums, and various rinses like peroxide and listerine. While these methods can temporarily decrease the concentration of THC in your saliva, their effectiveness is usually very limited, and they may harm your health.
2. Detox Mouthwashes
Many individuals use special detox mouthwashes to pass a saliva drug test. These products are specially designed to temporarily mask or remove toxins like THC in your saliva. Detox mouthwashes are usually easy to use, provide quick results, and provide you with a relatively large window to pass a mouth swab drug test. The most effective and safe ones currently available on the market are Toxin Rid Rescue Wash and Stinger Detox Mouthwash.
3. Prolonged Abstinence
As we already mentioned in the previous sections, the use of both home remedies and detox mouthwashes provides only temporary effects. The most reliable method is prolonged abstinence, which means avoiding weed consumption for a prolonged period of time and allowing your system to fully get rid of THC in a natural way.
What Are the Key Points You Should Remember About How Long Weed Stays in Saliva?
The most important thing you should always remember is that THC (the active component of weed) usually stays in your saliva for 1-3 days, which is considered a standard THC mouth swab detection window. However, this period can vary based on a variety of personal factors and weed use preferences, including the frequency of use and weed potency, as well as your metabolism, level of physical activity and hydration, BMI, overall health, gender, and age.
It also matters how exactly you consume marijuana, as THC can stay longer in the saliva of people who prefer edibles containing weed. You should also remember that there are several ways to remove weed from your saliva, namely using detox mouthwashes and home remedies or completely abstaining from weed use for a prolonged period of time, with the last one being the most reliable and safe method.
This information should allow you to properly prepare for a saliva drug test, regardless of the situation in which it may occur, such as the workplace and traffic accident, or legal proceeding.