How Long Does CBD Stay In Your System?

The short answer to this question is: CBD can stay in your system for anywhere between 2-12 days. However, this is just a guideline.

Everyone is different, and everyone can respond to CBD in different ways - some might find that it is not in your system for all that long, whereas others might find that it is in their system for a while.

There are a few variables that you should consider when working out how long CBD will stay in your system, so read on to find out more about this.

The Variables To Consider

The main variable that you need to consider when it comes to CBD and how long it will stay in your system, is the volume of CBD that you use. The more CBD that you use, then the longer that it will stay in your system.

Additionally, the frequency that you use CBD oil will also impact the length of time that it stays in your system. If you use CBD regularly, then it will essentially build up within your body over time.

It is recommended that you use CBD for a week just to test if it works for you, and then you can adjust the dosage accordingly. If you only use CBD occasionally then your system will be able to clear it a lot quicker as this will avoid any kind of build-up within your system.

Another key variable to consider is how everyone is different. CBD will have a different effect on you depending on your body mass index (BMI), which takes into account your body weight and height, your metabolism, body fat and the water content in your system.

Furthermore, another variable that will have an effect on how CBD stays in your system is food. This might seem surprising, but actually, if you take CBD on a full stomach then it will stay in your system for longer because your digestion speed will not be as fast.

If you take CBD on an empty stomach then it will get metabolized and eliminated a lot faster than if you eat beforehand. So, it all depends on the user experience that you want.

Different Forms Of CBD

• Full Spectrum CBD Products

Full Spectrum CBD products contain the whole range of available terpenes and cannabinoids from that products particular extraction method. This includes legal, trace amounts of THC.

It is unlikely in the UK that a legal and independently tested CBD product would contain enough THC to cause you to fail a drug test, however, if you could be drug tested at work or are concerned at all about drug testing then we would recommend that you steer clear of Full-Spectrum products.

You can learn more about Full Spectrum CBD Oil here.

• Broad Spectrum CBD

Broad Spectrum CBD products contain the whole range of available cannabinoids and terpenes from that products particular extraction method, excluding THC!

A Broad Spectrum Oil product should therefore contain no detectable levels of THC and this should be verified by an independent laboratory, we use Phytovista and Adact Medical for our cannabinoid testing. 

• CBD Isolate

Isolated Cannabinoids are pure forms of isolated compounds such as CBDA, CBCA, CBGA etc. These compounds do NOT include other plant materials like terpenes or flavonoids. They are 97% or greater in purity with zero traces of THCA, THC, CBN or any other controlled substance.

This means that they are suitable for those who wish to avoid having THC in their system. However, some people may find them less effective due to their lack of interaction with other compounds found naturally in cannabis plants.

We recommend using CBD isolate-based products for anyone who is worried about having THC in their system for any form of workplace or competition drug testing.

Different Consumption Methods

CBD can be accessed in multiple forms depending on your personal preferences. CBD comes in the form of oil, pills, edibles, vaping and you can also get lotions.

Ingesting CBD in one of these forms will have an effect on your body in different ways, in terms of the length of time that the CBD will stay in your body. 

When you vape CBD it will enter your lungs and it will take effect pretty quickly, but it will also leave your body quickly if you consume it in this way.

Oils and edibles are absorbed into the bloodstream at a slower rate and so, the effects of CBD will linger for a lot longer.

Additionally, your digestive system will work hard to metabolize the edible forms of CBD and this can take a while depending on whether or not you have eaten anything before ingesting CBD. One of the forms of CBD which linger the most within the body is CBD as a cream or lotion, these are slow to get in and out of the body.

How Long Does CBD Take to Work?

Again, as we keep saying the speed at which CBD will start working all depends on the form that you ingest. Other variables that also have an effect on this are the volume of CBD that you ingest and also your body composition.

It is hard to predict how long CBD will take to work on each individual person due to these factors.

But, to keep things pretty general, CBD should take approximately 15 minutes to work if it is vaped. However, edible forms of CBD can take anywhere from 1-2 hours before they start working. 

The effects of CBD again can vary depending on the person taking it, but generally speaking, the effects of CBD can last anywhere from 2-6 hours.

Will CBD Show up on a Drug Test?

People can be wary when using CBD as to if it will show up on a drug test. To be as accurate as possible here, we would advise that: CBD will not show up on a drug test.

If the product you consume contains THC, it may be that the THC gets detected and flagged by a drugs test.

For more information, look at our "Will CBD show up on a drug test" blog post here.

What is THC? Well, this is a component found in marijuana and is what is responsible for the ‘high’ effect. So if your CBD contains THC then this would show up on a drug test depending on the quality of the THC.

If drug testing is something that you are worried about, then CBD isolate is the form to look for as this only contains CBD. There should not be any traces of any other components within this form of CBD.

Is CBD Legal? 

We have broken down the legal ins and outs of CBD into the following bullet points, so if you are unsure of where you stand on the legal front with CBD, then read below with care:

• Hemp-derived CBD products (with less than 1mg of THC or CBN) are legal in the UK. 
• All CBD products must comply with the FSA Novel Food Regulations.
• Keep in mind that non-prescription CBD products are not MHRA-approved, and no medical claims can be made about them.
• Make sure to check your country's laws and those of anywhere you travel. 

The best place to shop for CBD is Beliebis, where you can purchase oils and edibles that are of premium quality and all independently UK laboratory tested. 

So How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?

So, our overall verdict is that it is pretty difficult to give a concrete answer for how long CBD will stay in the human body. This is personal because everyone is so different.

Of course, our guidelines are as accurate as possible, but this does not mean that discrepancies will not occur.

Everyone’s experience with CBD will be different, and you can adjust the dosage and decide when is the best time for you to use it when you get more confident with it.