Despite cannabis being legal in most states in the US, drug testing is still a reality for many places.
Even if you live in a cannabis-friendly state or country, there are liabilities, policies, and even safety concerns that may require you to undergo a drug test. In addition, cannabis is still considered illegal at the federal level in the United States, which is why workplaces - particularly those that have federal contracts and regulations - are required to comply with federal guidelines.
Oftentimes, workplace drug testing practices can still be unjust, but it’s part of the harsh reality of employment today.
Having said that, it used to be easy enough to avoid weed if you knew you had a drug test coming up. But the truth is that weed stays in your system for a notoriously long time, so if you’re a frequent or moderate user, it’s best to avoid smoking weed for up to a month before a urine test. Likewise, recommended to avoid consuming edibles since they stay in the blood and urine for significantly longer when you ingest them.
Hair follicle tests have always been the most daunting, because of their reputation for capturing even the most minute exposures to any drug.
We’ve always thought it was no big deal to be exposed to secondhand cannabis smoke: one would have to smoke or consume weed in order to test positive in a drug test of any kind.
Now, things have changed. Studies show that exposure to second-hand cannabis smoke can definitely show up in a drug test.
What Studies Say
A recent study out of the University of Bologna in Italy was initiated to better understand if THC and CBD could be detected from just one episode of single yet repeated exposure to pot smoke, as well as “light cannabis” which is low in THC but high in CBD.
Study participants were made to undergo 15-minute exposures each week to low THC, which consisted of 0.5% weed smoke, for more than a month. The smoke itself was delivered using a pump inside a vehicle. Meanwhile, after a one month washout period when they abstained from exposure, the participants were then asked to repeat the exposure in the same conditions but with high THC cannabis smoke this time. The researchers collected urine and hair samples after.
What they found was surprising: urine tests were always negative, yet hair samples tested positive for CBD after exposure. Additionally, the hair follicle tests also came out positive after exposure to high THC cannabis, revealing similar levels that resembled drug use.
“Our study showed that hair contamination could arise in vivo even after short single exposure to cannabis and ‘light cannabis’, underlining the need for a careful interpretation of results of hair analysis in forensic toxicology,” concluded the investigators.
Just How Accurate Are Hair Follicle Tests?
The results of the above study can show how inaccurate - and unfair, to say the least - common workplace drug testing methods can be.
According to a 2024 report compiled by Quest Diagnostics, a leading drug-testing laboratory, the number of workers who test positive for cannabis continues to increase - especially as more states legalize the drug. According to the report, which did not include drug testing for positions that are safety-sensitive, 2023 saw a rise to 4.5% positives from 4.3% in 2022.
They add that the trend is no surprise, given the increasing acceptance of marijuana as well as increasing legalization. Simply put, more people are smoking weed, so naturally, more people will test positive for it. But do we really need to continue testing for marijuana in this day and age? How necessary is it, particularly when we know that the numbers are inaccurate?
Imagine getting into trouble at work for testing positive in a hair follicle drug test, just because you were exposed to the smoke? Unfortunately, there’s no real way to determine the difference between second-hand and first-hand exposure at the moment. For this reason and more, workplace drug testing policies have long been criticized because they are flawed and unfair.
After all, the metabolites of cannabinoids do linger in the body for a much longer time, even after the effects of the drug have already worn off. For employees, this means that they can be completely sober on the job, and 100% responsible yet they have a risk of failing a drug test because of exposure or light use weeks ago.
Conclusion
More often than not, drug testing in the workplace is still unfair especially for cannabis consumers - whether you smoke medically or recreationally. Common drug tests carried out by organizations, such as saliva swabs, hair follicle tests, and urinalysis don’t actually test for recent use or impairment - they only identify the presence, if any, of trace metabolites in the blood.
As we said earlier, the trace metabolites can still be present in the body even for individuals who haven’t consumed in weeks. This is a double standard for cannabis users because it punishes us for things that we choose to do outside of working hours, even if we live in a state where weed has been legalized.
Until cannabis is legal at the federal level, this is what we have to contend with.
If you had a choice to do so, it would be simply so much better to work at an organization that respects cannabis laws, with weed-friendly management. Or at least, have an open-minded manager that you can speak to if you need to use weed for medical reasons. On the other hand, if you don’t smoke weed as often, it would be wise to steer clear of environments where you could potentially be exposed even to second hand smoke.
SECOND HAND CANNABIS SMOKE, READ ON...
