Like most of the drugs, marijuana stays in your system for a certain time, depending on various factors. It depends on the level of THC, metabolism, how frequently it used as well as its hydration.
THC is detectable in the saliva for about 48 hours from consumption, around 3 days to a month in urine, 36 hours in blood and around 90 days in hair. Thus, In this article, we are going to discuss the effects of marijuana, how it can be detected in your body as per the many standard drug tests, as well as side effects in detail.
What is Marijuana?
Marijuana, also known as pot, ganja or weed, is a drug which has a psychoactive effect on a human body and is derived from the plant Cannabis sativa.
It is mostly smoked in pipes, joints, or bongs. Apart from that, it can also be smoked in the form of blunt or cigars without nicotine. Also, it can be consumed in the form of food or certain kind of tea.
What Happens When You Smoke Marijuana?
When a person smokes marijuana, it enters the lungs and from there it passes to the bloodstream.
From there, marijuana is transferred to different body parts as well as the brain. Once you consume marijuana, you can stay high for about 1-3 hours and the effect of it is immediate.
Marijuana, when consumed in some of the edible forms, say brownies, produces a psychoactive effect after roughly 30 minutes.
Effects Faced by People on Consuming Marijuana:
Consuming Marijuana triggers certain abnormal effects on a person. It is pretty common in almost all consumers. Here we have listed certain effects faced by people who consume Marijuana.
- Altered senses.
- Distorted sense of time.
- Impaired coordination.
- Trouble thinking clearly or solving problems.
- Trouble remembering things.
- Mood swings.
- Anxiety and Fear.
- Increased appetite.
THC Processing by the Human Body
THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol is absorbed into various body organs and tissues like brain, heart as well as fat and it is metabolized by the liver into 11 hydroxy THC and carboxy THC which are removed by urine.
With time, the THC which is stored in certain body tissues is released into the bloodstream again and is then metabolized by the liver. For those who consume Marijuana chronically, could test positive for marijuana even after days of stopping its consumption.
Various Test Necessary for Detecting Marijuana in the Human Body
Marijuana stays in the human body for a considerable amount of time, depending on the way of its consumption and the amount consumed. The exact time it stays in the body may vary with the consumer.
A consumer who uses it frequently may store Marijuana for a longer time than a consumer who is not so frequent with its usage.
Here are some of the tests necessary for detecting Marijuana in the human body:
- Saliva Test: In a saliva test, a person can show positive results even after 34-48 hours of its consumption.
- Urine Test: People who are not a frequent user of marijuana may show positive results for up to 1-3 days. While a moderate user will show positive for about 7-21 days after the last use. Those who are frequent users of Marijuana may produce a positive result for a month. Lastly, people who consume marijuana orally may show positive results for about 1-5 days.
- Hair Test: You can test for marijuana by the hair test for up to 90 days. However, hair tests are only useful for people who frequently consume marijuana and not for light users.
- Blood Test: Marijuana can show for up to 36 hours in a blood test.
How Long Does it Take Marijuana to Wear Off From Your System?
The short term side effects of marijuana stay in the system for about 1-3 hours. However, some issues like memory problems or trouble in sleeping may last for a week.
Also, the long term effects of marijuana stay in the human body for days, weeks as well as months even after stopping its consumption.
Side Effects of Marijuana
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug which produces certain side effects on consumption. Hence, there are certain long term as well as short term side effects that may get triggered.
Here, we have listed some of them below:
Short Term Side Effects
- Short-term memory conditions
- Severe anxiety disorders, including the fear that one is being followed, paranoia.
- Strange behaviour, seeing, hearing or smelling things that aren’t present (psychosis)
- Panic attacks
- Frequent Hallucinations
- Loss of sense
- Personal identification issues
- Reduced reaction time
- Increase in heart rate
- Risk of heart attack
- Risk of stroke
- Coordination Problems
- Sexual problems in males
- Sexually Transmitted Infections in Female
Long Term Side Effects
- IQ declination
- Poor school performance
- Higher chance of dropping out
- Impaired thinking
- Inability to learn and perform complex tasks
- Lowered life satisfaction
- Potential opiate abuse
- Relationship problems
- Antisocial behaviour
- Financial difficulties
- Expanded welfare dependence
People who are below 18 years of age should not consume it, as it is not legal to consume marijuana if you are not an adult.
Pregnant and lactating mothers should avoid consuming Marijuana as it might stay in the system and affect the baby during the delivery process.
If you are suffering from some serious ailments, it is better to avoid its consumption as it might aggravate the issues further and complicate the conditions.
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that has a considerable mind-altering effect on humans. The THC content of Marijuana is responsible for producing such psychoactive effect on a person’s mind.
Being a psychoactive drug, marijuana stays within a human body system for a long time. However, this depends on its way of consumption and the span of its use. If you are an infrequent user, the marijuana content may wear out within a day-1 week.
But if you are long term frequent consumer of marijuana, it may take about a month to exit from your system.
Marijuana has serious side effects associated with its use, thus it is important to consume it in a limited dose, as its overdose may be positively mind-altering as well.