How Long Does Delta 8 Stay In Your System?

Marijuana leaf

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Delta 8 THC is the latest and greatest cannabinoid to take the cannabis industry by storm. With its growing popularity, use, and sales across the United States, Canada, and beyond, more and more cannabis users are incorporating delta 8 into their everyday lives at lightning speed. 

And although delta 8 is gaining a ton of popularity, there are still some unknowns surrounding this relatively recently discovered cannabinoid, specifically how it interacts with the human body. For example, in terms of staying in your system, does it behave the same as regular (delta 9) THC? Will delta 8 show up on a drug test? How long does delta 8 stay in your system? Can you flush delta 8 out of your system?

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about what factors go into how delta 8 interacts with the body, how long delta 8 stays in your system, and how long before it’s out.

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What is Delta 8 THC?

Before we understand how long delta 8 stays in the system, we must first understand how delta 8 interacts with the system.

Delta 8 is a cannabinoid form of THC (or tetrahydrocannabinol) and is a very close cannabinoid relative to delta 9 THC, the THC that we are most familiar with. Delta 9 THC is the chemical compound in the cannabis plant that’s known for providing its users a psychoactive experience (or in layman’s terms, getting people stoned.)

Delta 8 is a much milder version of delta 9 THC, and although it’s not as potent as its famous cannabinoid cousin, they are still molecularly very similar. This means that delta 8 will interact with the human body in many of the same ways as almost any other cannabinoid, including delta 9 THC and even CBD.

Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found within the cannabis plant which interact with a naturally occurring system within the human body called the endocannabinoid system (or ECS). The endocannabinoid system contains two different types of cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, which are located in the nervous and immune systems, respectively.

When we ingest any type of cannabinoid––whether it’s delta 8 THC, delta 9 THC, CBD, HHC, or any of the other 113 different cannabinoids that have been discovered in the cannabis plant––they enter the body’s bloodstream and begin to make their way to these cannabinoid receptors. Once they reach the cannabinoid receptors, they begin firing off signals to the brain, which trigger the feelings we’ve come to know and love from cannabis, such as relaxation, stimulated appetite, help with sleeping, reduced anxiety, pain relief, and inflammation relief, along with a broad spectrum of different psychoactive experiences.

So, now that you know how delta 8 interacts with the system, how long will delta 8 stay in your system? This depends on a few different factors, but generally, much like other cannabinoids such as delta 9 THC and CBD, delta 8 THC can stay in your system for a while after you use it.

How Long Does Delta 8 THC Stay in your System?

The length of time delta 8 stays in your system depends on a variety of factors, such as your tolerance, frequency of use, age, height and weight, overall health, the method of consumption, and how much you consume at one time. Let’s break down how much each of these factors will play a role in how long delta 8 will stay in your system.

  1. Tolerance and frequency of use. The higher your tolerance is, the harder it is for you to get high. This usually leads people to consume a lot more cannabis to get their desired effects. Also, frequent, regular use of any cannabinoid will make it build up in the body and stay in the system for much longer than those who rarely use cannabis.

  2. How much you consume at one time. On the other hand, the lower your tolerance is, the easier it is for you to get high. This means that you may only need a very small amount of delta 8 to feel the psychoactive effects and shouldn’t experience any kind of cannabinoid build-up in your system. The lower the dose, the less likely it will be to stay in your system for any prolonged period of time.

  3. Age. The older you are, the more difficult it is for your body to process and metabolize certain chemical compounds. This slows down the process significantly, keeping things like delta 8 in the body for a lot longer. Alternatively, younger bodies are usually able to process and metabolize things relatively quickly.

  4. Height and weight. Your body composition has a lot to do with how you react to and process cannabis. The larger your body mass, the more foreign substances your body will be able to withstand. (Think of it in terms of drinking alcohol––it’s typical for a taller, larger person to be able to drink more than a shorter, more petite person.) The same applies to cannabis; two people could consume the same amount of cannabis, but if their body masses are completely different, it’s likely it will be more detectable in the smaller person.

  5. Overall health. Your overall health––your metabolism, in particular––plays a huge role in your how body processes delta 8. Delta 8 is directly metabolized by the body, which means the higher your metabolism is, the faster delta 8 will be processed out of the body. This also means the slower your metabolism is, the longer it will take for your body to process delta 8 out of your system.

  6. Method of consumption. This is potentially the most crucial factor in how long delta 8 stays in your system. Methods of consumption such as smoking flower and vaping concentrates have almost instantaneous effects. This is because they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream, hit you strong and fast, and exit the body relatively quickly. On the other hand, methods like edibles and tinctures are digested through the stomach, which means they take a while to kick in, last a lot longer, and stay in the system a lot longer as well.

Although these factors all play an essential role in how long delta 8 will stay in your system, it all comes down to every person’s unique physiology. Again, it’s important to remember that cannabis affects each individual entirely differently. So now that you know what to expect in terms of how long delta 8 will stay in your system, what if you want to get delta 8 out of your system?

 

Q: How Long Does it Take for Delta 8 to Leave Your System?

A: Up to 30 days, although this varies for each individual person. Based on the factors we listed above, it can either stay in your system for a while or be out of your system almost as quickly as it entered it.

 

Q: How long does delta 8 stay in your urine?

A: Delta 8 THC can be detected in your urine for up to 30 days. On the other hand, there have been reports of delta 8 being detected up to 90 days in hair follicles via a hair follicle test. But, once again, the definitive answer on this one is going to depend entirely on the factors we listed above. 

 

Q: Will you fail a drug test on delta 8?

A: Yes, you will absolutely fail a drug test on delta 8. Delta 8 may have found a legal loophole in terms of sales and distribution, but it is still very much a form of THC, meaning it can easily show up on a drug test. There has been some conflicting anecdotal evidence on this, but we always recommend erring on the side of caution.

 

Q: Can you flush delta 8 out of your system before a drug test?

A: Maybe. Any evidence of this is based almost entirely on anecdotal evidence as there hasn’t been enough research to definitely state whether you can flush it out of your system or not. But some people swear by different methods of flushing or detoxing their system before a drug test. You can try, but we always encourage you to practice caution when using delta 8 if you know you have an important drug test coming up. While there are people who have said they’ve outsmarted the tests, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Enjoy responsibly!

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