THCA Flower Drug Test: Why You Would Fail

THCA flower is here, so that fans of cannabis can enjoy a legal delta 9 high.  THCA, short for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, is the raw “precursor” form of delta 9 THC.  Found only in raw cannabis, it has to be heated to convert into delta 9 THC. 

THCA flower is heated, through smoking, vaping, or turning into edibles through baking or cooking, which means that THCA flower is ultimately giving you a delta 9 THC high.  With that information, can that put a person at risk of failing a drug test?

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Will Taking THCA Flower Cause a Failed Drug Test? 

The short answer is yes.  The THCA in THCA flower converts into delta 9 THC, which basically makes failing a drug test an inevitability just like if you were to consume weed.

In fact, it’s not delta 9 that drug tests are looking for, but a delta 9 metabolite called THC-COOH, which allows the cannabinoid to leave the body.  And, all THC cannabinoids are metabolized into THC-COOH, which is why delta 8, delta 10, THC-P, THCV, and other THC compounds can all result in a failed drug test.

Which Types of Drug Tests Might Identify THCA Flower?

There are a few different types of drug tests that are used in various environments, all of which can pick up THCA/delta 9 THC.  Let’s compare them.

• Urine Tests: About 90% of all drug tests administered are urine tests, and so, are the standard drug tests used for both employment and probation.  They can show THC-COOH in a person’s urine about 2-60 days after it was last taken, and thus, are extremely reliable and low-cost.
• Saliva Tests: Saliva tests are usually used by law enforcement, most often at traffic stops and when arrests are made, to find out if a person is intoxicated, as they only show whether or not a person has consumed THC within the last 10 hours.
• Hair Tests: Hair strand tests can identify certain drugs that have been taken in the last 90 days, but they are not the most reliable or affordable, and they have an impractically long turnaround time.  Because of that, they’re rarely used by employers.
• Blood Tests: Blood tests are used to find out if a person is currently high, and do not look for THC-COOH but rather THC/THCA, as the cannabinoid hasn’t yet been converted into THC-COOH.  They’re commonly used in hospitals.
• Perspiration Tests: Perspiration tests are usually saved for clinical studies at the will of the participant, and require attaching a patch to a person’s skin, where it remains for up 2 weeks, collecting samples of their sweat over the period of time. 

How Long Does it Take for THCA Flower to Leave Your System?

Long after the effects of THCA flower (delta 9 THC) have worn off, the cannabinoid is still in your system, in a new form known as THC-COOH.  And, again, that’s what a drug test is looking for.  So, how long does this metabolite stay in the system?  It really depends on a few different factors.  Let’s go over each one now.

#1: Your Recent Usage of THCA Flower   

The last time you used THCA flower can make all of the difference.  If it’s been over 5 weeks since your last dose, there’s a really good chance that you’re in the clear.  It’s also about how frequently you took it.  THC-COOH leaves the body at the same rate regardless of how much of it is in the system – basically, if you were smoking flower multiple times a day for a month, there’s a big traffic jam effect as the metabolite clears the system.  If you took it only a couple of times in total, it may not linger in the body for more than a couple of days.

#2: Your Metabolism 

Some people’s metabolisms fully break down and eliminate THC-COOH more quickly than others do, based on variables like diet, immune function, thyroid function and overall health.

#3: How Much THCA Was in the Flower 

Different THCA flower products can have different concentrations of THCA added to them, ranging from roughly 5-30%.  Obviously, the higher the concentration in the product that you’ve been using, the more THC-COOH will have accumulated in the body, and the longer it will take to fully clear.

#4: The Way You’ve Been Consuming THCA Flower 

People wonder if there’s a difference in terms of the delivery method when it comes to how long it takes to clear the system.  For instance, does THC-COOH last longer depending on whether you vaped, smoked, or ingested the flower in the form of edibles?  There’s nothing to actually prove whether or not that’s the case, but at the same time, it’s likely that smoking will cause the THC-COOH to last longer than vaping it, since smoking is inherently more potent due to the higher concentration of the cannabinoid in smoke compared to vapor.

As for edibles, that’s lesser known.  Edibles enable the cannabinoid to metabolize in a different way from inhalable THCA products.  But, whether or not this actually affects the length of time it takes for the cannabinoid to fully metabolize, by comparison, is something that we don’t actually know for sure.

Bottom Line: If You Don’t Want to Fail a Drug Test, Avoid Using THCA Flower for a While

Basically, whether you’re taking THCA as a raw cannabinoid or as a decarboxylated cannabinoid to convert it into delta 9 THC, you are likely to fail a drug test.  And, because of that, we recommend that you simply avoid all THCA products if you do have a drug test coming up.  At the end of the day, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and that’s especially true, if you could lose your job due to a positive test result.  

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