So…Can CBD Actually Cause You To Fail A Drug Test?

Everywhere you turn these days, cannabidiol or CBD, has become a beacon for all things "healthy". And it's literally everywhere. You can find it online; you can find it at health food stores. Heck... you can get it at the gas station! But I think the question that most people are quietly curious about, is whether or not CBD will make you fail a drug test.

Recently, a woman in southern Maine lost her job because her drug test came back positive for THC. She found this odd because she said she doesn't use cannabis. She suspected that maybe the trace amounts of THC in her supplement were building up in her system.

News Center Maine talked to Dr. Dustin Sulak, who is a nationally recognized authority on cannabis pain management, essentially backed up this concept. To pass muster with the letter of law, CBD cannot have any more than 0.3% THC. But, Dr. Sulak says that over time, it will build up in your system.

Zero-point-three percent THC content sounds like a small amount, but if someone is taking that product consistently for a month, that THC will build up in their system.....

the active compounds in cannabis are fat soluble and they persist in the body for several weeks in some cases.

And, because there is no standard for testing, you could be buying a product that has way more than the 0.3%, or for that matter, you could be buying a product with none. There's no regulation, so it's up to the manufacturer.

In the interest of personal curiosity, someone I know very closely has been using a CBD tincture from one of the local dispensaries for months. This person decided to take a home drug test to see what the results were. Sure enough, the test came back positive. And this is a person that I know absolutely does not use cannabis in any form.

At the end of the day, it's all about your lifestyle. If you have a job that doesn't require any drug testing, then there really isn't anything to worry about. But if you're a person who is using CBD regularly, and thinking you are totally safe from reprimand, think again.

This isn't to say that CBD doesn't help people. For a lot of people, it's bringing a lot of relief. But if your job depends on you being able to give up nothing but clear fluids, you might be in jeopardy. At the very least, you may want to test yourself, and make a decision that best suits you.

After all, CBD may grow on "trees", but money doesn't.