Will CBD Oil Fail A Drug Test? What You Need To Know To Not Fail

As Cannabidiol (CBD) becomes mainstream within popular culture and the general public, there are rising questions and issues regarding the safety of taking CBD products with drug tests.

Especially as 65% of total jobs either drug test, or do pre-employment drug screenings. If you take a quick search online, you would find many Reddit posts or comments of people who have failed drug tests with the use CBD oil products. There are many possible reasons for this, which I will elaborate on below.

There is very limited information on the reasons why CBD oils may show up and fail on drug tests. In this article, I will be going over the type of cannabidiol products that do and do not trigger drug tests, what factors affect it, and what you can do about it. First, we have to answer the question:

Will CBD itself show up on a drug test?

This is a trick question, because CBD itself would never show up on a drug test. CBD is not traced in urine, hair follicle, nails, or saliva sampling tests. CBD is the medical abbreviation of cannabidiol, which is one of around 400 cannabinoids found in the cannabis sativa plant. Out of these cannabinoids, only approximately 113 cannabinoids have been specifically identified.

These include Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). The main and most important cannabinoids found in Hemp and Marijuana. The two cannabis sativa plants.

CBD as an extract is non-psychoactive. Meaning it does not get you high or give intoxicating effects. There are currently no major side effects known from CBD oil extract. CBD is known to have many medical benefits, with more than 27 health benefits found.

Cannabidiol makes up around 40% of the total plant extract of Cannabis, and an even higher percentage within the hemp plant specifically. Marijuana contains very little CBD. The compound CBD itself, either from hemp or marijuana, will not show up on a drug test. However, CBD oil products that may fail on a drug test will depend on the type of product (THC-Free or Full Spectrum), extraction process, strength used, and lab test results.

On the other hand, THC is the complete opposite. THC does give psychoactive effects, meaning you will get high if taken enough of it. If you smoke, THC is what makes you feel the way you do. Your body reacts to it directly. THC is a major proponent of Marijuana, making up around 20-25% of marijuana based on total dry weight.

As far as drug tests are concerned, THC is what they are testing for. Or more specifically, drug tests evaluate you for THC-COOH content, as this is what remains in your body after THC metabolites within you. THC-COOH also remains in your body longer than THC. THC-related drug tests occur because of how THC may affect your productivity at work, mood, perception, work ethic and other factors.

Why are there issues with drug tests when the oils are CBD, not THC?

This is because there are two different types of CBD oils. One that is THC-Free, and one that contains a small about of THC. The second one is the one that causes issues with drug tests. These two types of CBD oils are called Pure “THC-Free” CBD oils” and “Full Spectrum Oils”.

 

Pure THC-Free CBD oil tinctures are exactly how they sound, THC-Free. Meaning they containing no psychoactive or intoxicating substances. Due to this, Pure CBD oils with zero THC should not trigger or fail a drug test, and are currently being taken in combination with drug tests. In fact, many athletes and other famous people are using CBD oils with zero THC. THC Free options are fairly popular online due to this advantage. However, this is only theoretically as some brands may mislabel or get their hemp CBD from falsely tested growers or distributors.

Where does the CBD drug test worry come from?

The worry comes from the other type of CBD oil, called Full Spectrum CBD oil. Full Spectrum oils are the most popular type of CBD oil on the market. Everything about the oil is the same as THC Free. Including the base, tincture bottle size (30ml) and plant extraction. However, there are some clear differences. Remember how there are over 113 identifiable cannabinoids in Cannabis?

Well, Full Spectrum CBD oils contains a few of these 113 cannabinoids that are found in the hemp plant. This may include CBN, CBG, CBC, as well as natural terpenes(essential oils), amino acids. But most importantly, Full Spectrum CBD oils contain trace amounts of THC as well, as THC is also a cannabinoid found in hemp.

The hemp plant itself contains less than 0.3% THC. Therefore, the legal limit for THC amount in any hemp plant grown is 0.3% respectively. No hemp plant grown, or CBD oil extracted can contain more than this amount.

As far as drug tests are concerned, even this little amount of THC can show up on a drug test. In fact, they trigger what is called a “false positive”. A false positive in a drug screening means that tests results come back as positive for THC even though the person them-self is drug free.

Other than THC, here are five factors that may affect cannabidiol (CBD) showing up on a drug test or screen:

1. The Strength & Concentration of the CBD Oil: Higher strengths of Full Spectrum CBD oils are more likely to show up on a drug screening as a false positive.
2. How Long and Often the CBD Oil is Taken For: If the Full Spectrum oil is everyday for a long period of time, the CBD builds up inside your body, therefore making it more effective and potent. But this also means that you are much more likely to fail a drug test.
3. Brand Labeling: Some brands may mislabel hemp oils that contain THC as THC-Free. For example, many brands label Full Spectrum CBD oils as “Hemp oil” or “Hemp seed oil” on amazon in order to sell on amazon’s marketplace. As amazon does not allow the sale of CBD products. Therefore, people buying hemp seed oil expecting to pass a drug test may be in for a huge surprise when they do not. In order to make sure you are buying THC-Free CBD oil, make sure to purchase from an authorized retailer or store. Such as Binoid CBD. Many brand labels are not clear, inaccurate, or their brand have never actually been tested for concentration or ingredients.
4. Other CBD Products that Contain Full Spectrum CBD Oil: Another thing to keep in mind is that most CBD products on the market today use Full Spectrum CBD oil and not THC-Free. This includes derivative products such as CBD vapes, gummies, capsules, other edibles, and even topical skin creams. That means that each of these products are also likely to trigger drug tests, if they are made from Full Spectrum oils. The ingredients list, title, or description should include “Full Spectrum”. If not, you should be cautious, and reach out to the companies customer service first. All of the products on our store are made with Full Spectrum CBD oil, unless labeled otherwise.
5. The Type of Drug Test: The sampling method of the drug test is an important factor the the chances of showing positive on a drug test. Nail, Saliva or Hair Follicle drug tests have a higher chances of THC showing on the drug screen. Most drug screenings such as the urine test will still likely show a false positive, but hair follicle, nail and saliva have the highest probability of it.  

If you are ever confused about which CBD oil is which, Full Spectrum oil tinctures may or may not be labeled as Full Spectrum depending on the brand. Most are just labeled as “CBD Oil” prefaced by the milligram(mg) strength of the oil on the front of the tincture bottle. Meanwhile THC-Free will be labeled as “non-THC” “Zero-THC” “THC-Free” or “0% THC”. Or variation thereof.

Our advice is to assume that any CBD oil tincture without those words on it are Full Spectrum CBD oils, containing THC in it, and therefore very possible to test positive for a drug test.

There is a lot of misinformation in the CBD industry space, and those stating that any CBD oil will not trigger a drug test, or cause any work related problems most likely do not have the data to backup their claim. Especially if it is their own product, in which gaining a sale is more important than customer well-being.

Another thing to keep in mind, which is why some brands will not show lab tests compared to others is their method of extraction and composition. CBD in the form of powdered isolate, in which CBD is extracted from hemp and ground until powder form will NOT have THC in it. While CBD extracted from hemp and kept in oil form will have trace amounts of CBD in it. You can tell the difference between the two with the color of the oil tincture.

CBD isolate powder is white, and therefore colorless. When added to a base oil, which is usually coconut oil, the tincture will be clear and colorless. Brands that use Full Spectrum oil itself will have a dark or light brown color to it. Based off of customer experience, the brown CBD oil will be more effective than the clear-colored oil. And is also more expensive to make, with a likely higher price point.

Will Broad Spectrum CBD Oil Test Positive on a Drug Test?

Broad Spectrum is a fairly newer trend within the CBD product industry. In fact, we recently launched our own broad spectrum water-soluble CBD. Broad Spectrum is a mix between Full Spectrum and Isolate. It contains all of the useful cannabinoids of the hemp plant including CBD, CBG, CBN, and CBC but contains no THC. Broad Spectrum CBD is, and should be THC-Free. Because of this, broad spectrum CBD will not trigger a drug test.

 

Based off the information above, we suggest doing you due diligence before buying CBD oils, and to only buy from trusted online sources. Binoid CBD specializes in transparency, and we include ingredients lists and testing for each of our products. View our collection of Full Spectrum and Pure THC-Free CBD oil products here. 

As well, please comment below with your experiences of taking CBD and drug tests to help others like yourselves make better decision buying CBD products. I’m sure you would appreciate the information just as much as them!

Just for that, feel free to use the code BINOID10 for 10% off ALL products.