Even though a high from marijuana passes like a fleeting shadow, traces of weed can be present in the body long after it is used. However, pinpointing an exact length of time is actually quite tricky. This subject is actually largely dependant on a number of factors including the frequency of marijuana use and the amount of the substance used.
What Is Weed?
Weed is the most common word used when referring to the dried leaves of the cannabis plant. Also referred to as pot or dope, it contains compounds like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that alter the mind. Weed also contains cannabidiol, or CBD, which does not alter the mind.
As far as using weed is concerned, there are many different ways to do so. It can be rolled up and smoked with a joint, blunt, or pipe, mixed into food or drink such as brownies or tea, or even THC concentrated oils can be used to vape.
What is THC?
THC is primarily responsible for stimulating the high that comes with using weed. The main component of cannabis, it helps modulate sleeping habits, eating habits, feeling pain, and other functions. That being said, it is primarily a psychoactive agent.
What is CBD?
CBD and THC share the same chemical formula, but their atoms are arranged differently.
This difference causes THC to have a psychoactive impact, but CBD does not do this. When CBD is ingested, likely for medical purposes, the purpose is to primarily rid someone of physical discomfort, with little to no effect on cognitive function.
How Does Weed Make You Feel?
When someone is high as a result of using weed, they tend to view the world in a different way. Friendly faces or common objects may become unfamiliar and strange. For example, objects can become distorted or discolored. Often times this is entertaining for the person using weed.
Those who are high on weed often feel and express intensified emotions. For example, circumstances that a sober person wouldn’t bat an eye to could be either more entertaining, emotional, or frightening to someone who is under the influence of marijuana. It is very difficult for users to control these intensified emotional behaviors.
How Long Do Traces of Weed Last?
While the effects of weed can vanish swiftly, traces of it can still be found in the body either days or weeks afterward, depending on the frequency or volume partaken. At the least, the body metabolizes THC compounds one half-life per 20 hours. To be eliminated from the body completely, a substance will maintain somewhere close to six half-lives. At most, other metabolites stored in body fat could take 13 days per half-life to run their course.
Some studies show that the amount of time weed stays in someone’s system is dependant on how often, how much, and how long they use or have used weed. Those who partake regularly have tested positive for drug use after 45 days since last stint. In stark contrast, those who use weed more heavily tested positive close to 90 days after quitting.
There are other factors that also contribute to the amount of time it takes weed to evade someone’s body. Some of these factors include metabolism, BMI or hydration habits. For example, the faster someone’s metabolism is, the faster that traces of weed will exit their body. In contrast, when one’s BMI is high, their body metabolizes substances slower, therefore weed metabolizes slower. In this case traces of weed will be present in the body much longer than someone with a high metabolism.
Dangers of Weed
Some dangers of using weed include the following:
- Brain damage
- Mental illness
- Growth restrictions
- Lack of judgment
- Slowed reaction time
- Impaired athletic performance
- Impaired work performance
As far as smoking weed is concerned, after just a few minutes, one’s heart will begin to beat more rapidly and their blood pressure will drop. In some cases, heartbeats have increased by anywhere from 20 to 100%. In these same cases, blood pressure was also reduced. Not only that, but those who smoke weed are anywhere from four to five times more likely to experience a heart attack after the first hour of smoking marijuana.
The amount of THC in marijuana throughout the past ten years has grown exponentially. By way of comparison, today’s weed has three times more THC concentration than that of 25 years ago. High amounts of THC have strong effects on the brain. These effects are not good as they are the reason for increased rates of emergency room visits relating directly to weed. There is not much research that can confirm the correlation between higher potency and the risks of long-term marijuana use, but more THC has been known to lead to higher rates of marijuana addiction.
How Can I Quit?
Some addiction treatment methods for weed use include the following:
- Inpatient rehab
- Outpatient rehab
- Detox treatment
Whether it’s inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, or detox, formal treatment is a necessary step to the recovery journey. As far as these recovery options are concerned, each one is effective in treating even the most unique cases of addiction.
Some people may not need as intensive a program as inpatient treatment, but they may still need to see a therapist or psychiatrist throughout the week. In this case, outpatient treatment would be a recovery method that caters to that specific individual. The point of all of this is that there are unique recovery options for each individual to help them in a way that is healthy and effective.
How Addiction Treatment Services Could Help
Weed has been a grey subject area for a matter of decades, if not centuries. Even though a high from marijuana passes swiftly, traces of weed can be present in the body long after it is used. This is why it is so necessary to be cognizant of the impact that weed has on the body.
It is very risky not to educate oneself on all the dangers of drugs such as weed. It is imperative that people understand how weed affects their bodies because it can help them combat the issue in a way that is constructive for their overall health.
The most difficult thing about drug abuse is quitting. It takes a vast amount of effort and energy, and nobody can do it alone. If yourself or a loved one wants to stop using weed but doesn’t know how, you can contact us here.
