When you begin researching CBD, one of the first things you’ll learn is that it’s a product of the cannabis plant. One of the next things you’ll learn is that CBD oil can legally contain trace amounts of THC, and that’s a possible problem if an employer or potential employer requires employees to take drug tests. Before you buy any CBD products, you naturally want to know whether CBD could cause a false positive result in a drug screening.

Here’s the short answer. According to some news agencies, CBD products have caused positive test results for THC metabolites. Although it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll ever have to worry about failing a drug test if you use CBD, the possibility of testing positive for THC after taking CBD is greater than zero. In this article, we’ll explain the things that you should consider before taking CBD.

Where Does CBD Come From?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of more than 100 active compounds called cannabinoids in the industrial cannabis plant. Much of the confusion surrounding CBD stems from the fact that marijuana – an illegal drug according to the federal government and in many states – is also a form of cannabis. Over the years, though, the two forms of cannabis – industrial hemp and marijuana – have taken divergent paths.

Industrial hemp is the classic form of cannabis. Until legal attitudes surrounding cannabis began to change in the early 20th century, hemp was one of the most important cash crops grown in the United States. The stem of the hemp plant contains an exceptionally durable fiber that’s useful for making clothing, rope and many more products. Hemp seeds are also useful, as they are rich in oil and protein. United States law requires industrial hemp to contain no more than 0.3 percent THC by weight after the plant material is dried. CBD comes from industrial hemp – not from marijuana.

Marijuana, on the other hand, is a hemp subtype that contains much higher concentrations of THC. Through selective breeding, marijuana growers are constantly coming up with new plant strains that feature even more THC than the strains available in the past. Unless you live in a state with medical or recreational marijuana dispensaries, you can’t buy a CBD oil made from marijuana.

Why Would CBD Oil Cause a Positive Drug Test?

Some CBD Companies Don’t Know What They’re Selling

The most important thing to know about CBD oil is that the companies marketing the finished products are generally not the ones growing and extracting the hemp. Some companies may buy the hemp from farmers and extract the CBD oil themselves. Others buy ready-made CBD oil from large producers who sell finished CBD goods on a wholesale basis. Some sellers of CBD products even import CBD oil and CBD isolate from China, the world’s largest producer of hemp.

Buying raw materials or finished goods from outside suppliers is a common business practice. Things get a little tricky in the CBD industry, though, because CBD oil isn’t regulated like a drug or nutritional supplement. Unless they voluntarily test their products through independent labs, CBD sellers can only trust that their suppliers are telling the truth about what’s in their supplements – and it seems that many sellers don’t bother paying for the tests that would reveal the truth.

Lack of Testing Leads to Inaccurate Labels

In 2017, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study in which researchers used liquid chromatography to determine the CBD and THC levels of 84 different CBD products. Of the products tested, only 30.95 percent actually had the CBD content specified on their labels. In some cases, the tested amount of CBD was less than 1 percent of what the label claimed. Even more concerning, the researchers detected THC concentrations of up to 0.643 percent – that’s more than twice the legal limit for products derived from industrial hemp. Of the 84 products tested, 18 contained detectable THC.

Some CBD Products May Contain Adulterants

The less a company knows about where its CBD comes from, the more likely it becomes that the company’s products could contain adulterants or contaminants. In 2019, Forensic Science International published the result of a study in which researchers analyzed the contents of several CBD vape juices from a single brand. Of the nine products analyzed, one contained the cough suppressant dextromethorphan. Even more alarming, four of the products contained the synthetic cannabinoid 5F-ADB. According to the World Health Organization, 5F-ADB is more likely than cannabis to cause severe poisoning. The “designer drug” has also been implicated in a few deaths.

A CBD product should never, ever contain a synthetic cannabinoid – and yet, when a company doesn’t know where its products come from, almost anything is possible.

Do Employers Test for CBD?

It is possible to test for CBD by testing for the presence of its metabolites. However, employers are unlikely to test for CBD, because it isn’t a drug of abuse and doesn’t cause intoxication. Every factor that an employer adds to a drug test increases the cost of the test. It is highly unlikely that most employers would pay to test for a substance that doesn’t affect job performance. In addition, many states have laws in place that specifically make CBD legal. Those laws are in place largely because CBD is known to reduce seizures for those with certain types of seizure disorders. An employer has little reason to test for a non-intoxicating substance that’s legal to use.

How Do Drug Screenings Work?

When you use a drug such as marijuana, the active compounds in the drug – such as THC – leave the body relatively quickly. However, metabolites – the products that remain after the body breaks the drug down – remain in the body for several days. In a drug test, you’ll submit a sample of urine, saliva, blood or hair. The sample will be tested for the presence of various drug metabolites. If a metabolite is found, a second test may be conducted to determine the exact quantity of the metabolite. For example, a drug test may screen for the presence of opioid metabolites. If those metabolites are found, a second test can determine whether the person being tested is potentially abusing a prescription drug.

How Long Can Cannabinoids Show Up on a Drug Test?

It is possible to detect cannabinoids in a urine test for up to about 45 days. A blood test can show a positive result for cannabinoids for up to about 75 days. Cannabinoids can show up in a hair test for up to 90 days.

Could CBD Alone Cause a False Positive Result in a Drug Test?

CBD alone will not cause a false positive result in a drug test because the test will not mistake CBD metabolites for THC metabolites. When people have failed drug tests after taking CBD, it’s because THC was found in their systems – even if the consumption of THC was unintentional.

How Much Full-Spectrum CBD Oil Can I Take While Still Passing a Drug Test?

According to drug testing company DISA, you can consume up to about 1,000 mg of CBD per day – assuming the THC concentration is below the legal limit of 0.3 percent – before you’ll need to start worrying seriously about failing a drug test. Most people don’t use anywhere near that amount of CBD. For most CBD users, normal consumption of CBD oil – even full-spectrum oil – is extremely unlikely to cause a positive result in a drug test.

How Do I Use CBD Without Failing a Drug Test?

The important thing to remember is that using any cannabis product creates the chance – even if it’s only a remote chance – that you could test positive for THC in a drug test. Whether it’s due to contamination, mislabeling or overconsumption of full-spectrum CBD oil, the possibility of testing positive for THC exists. You can do four things to minimize the chance of that happening.

Track the amount of CBD oil you consume. If you’re taking more than 1,000 mg of CBD per day, testing positive for THC becomes a strong possibility.

Buy CBD only from a company that tests its products for THC and publishes the results. Unless a company conducts lab testing, it doesn’t really know what’s in its products.

Consider buying CBD products based on pure CBD isolate. CBD isolate is a crystalline powder containing more than 99 percent CBD. In lab testing, true CBD isolate contains no detectable THC. The possibility of testing positive for THC after taking CBD isolate is therefore incredibly remote.

Stop taking CBD at least 30 days before seeking a job position that requires drug screening. Although this won’t eliminate the possibility of failing a random drug test while on the job, it should ensure that your CBD use won’t cause you to test positive for THC before you become employed.

Is It Legal to Test for THC in Medical Marijuana States?

Do you live in a state that allows medical marijuana use? If you do, you should not assume that your job is safe if you happen to test positive for THC after using CBD. Nine states offer legal protection against employment discrimination for medical marijuana patients who comply with all applicable laws. Those states are:

Arizona

Connecticut

Delaware

Illinois

Maine

Minnesota

Nevada

New York

Rhode Island

In spite of the legal protection offered by those states, though, it is important to note that the federal government has yet to recognize the value of medical marijuana. According to federal law, marijuana remains a Schedule I prohibited substance with “no accepted medical use” and “a high potential for abuse.” An employer that must comply with federal drug laws to maintain funding or licensing may terminate an employee who tests positive for THC, regardless of any legal protection that the state offers to medical marijuana patients.

In addition to the legal protection offered by the above states, New York City and the State of Nevada have both instituted measures to ban testing for marijuana as a condition of employment. Both measures will become active in 2020. The measures, however, do allow testing for marijuana under certain conditions.

Under the new laws, employers in Nevada and New York City may still test workers for marijuana if:

Workers appear intoxicated while on the job

Marijuana use on the job would cause a potential safety issue

The federal government requires such tests

The Bottom Line: Buy Your CBD Only From a Reputable Seller

Given its rapid growth and lack of regulation, the CBD industry is currently in its “wild west” stage. You can find CBD products just about everywhere these days – on Amazon and eBay, at health food stores and even at your local convenience stores and gas stations. Coffee shops are selling CBD-laced brews, and mom-and-pop shops are selling CBD-infused baked goods and chocolate bars. You can even buy bulk CBD from China on websites like Alibaba.

What all of this adds up to is a “let the buyer beware” scenario. Given the information that recent studies have produced, it seems highly probable that an unknown CBD brand could contain more than the legally permitted amount of THC, could contain little to no CBD and could even contain dangerous contaminants. Avoiding off-brand CBD isn’t just a matter of making sure that you won’t fail a drug test; it’s also a matter of caring about what you put into your body. Shopping carefully for supplements isn’t only the domain of federal workers and professional athletes; it’s something that everyone should do.

We strongly recommend against buying any CBD product from a company you’ve never heard of until you’ve had a chance to research the company and determine where it’s getting its products. Remember that some of the companies found to have inaccurate labeling on their CBD products specifically stated on their websites that their products were analyzed by outside labs and found to be THC free. Don’t believe those claims unless the company is willing to publish its lab reports for all to see.

Final Thoughts

Consumption of any dietary supplement or application of certain products derived from hemp may result in a positive drug test. We make no representations regarding the outcome of a drug test taken near the time of consumption or application of our products. mintedLeaf products do not exceed 0.3% THC.