From your nervous cat to some of the biggest celebrities in the world, it seems as though there are endless people touting the benefits of CBD today. What started off as a health and fitness fad a couple of years ago has quickly evolved into something so much more significant, particularly in an age where everyone is looking for a natural way to overcome chronic conditions. However, as more and more people CBD, a pressing question needs to be answered, “Does CBD oil show up on a drug test in the UK?”
Studies into CBD products show that the right oils and tinctures can help with everything from insomnia, to anxiety, and even chronic pain. Of course, when you’re using CBD compound oils to improve your quality of life, the last thing you want to worry about is the threat of your oils showing up during drug testing.
Now that modern workplaces can conduct screening tests at the drop of a hat, it’s important to know the facts about CBD oil, and whether it’s actually going to show up in a drug test or not.
CBD Oil and Drug Testing
In today’s professional world, there are plenty of companies that conduct regular drug tests on a month to month basis. If you work for a business that’s particularly strict about checking for traces of drugs, you’re likely to feel a little nervous about CBD showing up on your test results.
The first thing you need to know is that CBD is the non-psychoactive module in the cannabis plant. It doesn’t make you feel high, and it has very few negative side effects. Many people around the world are relying on CBD oil for stress reduction and pain relief.
When your employer conducts a drug test, more often than not, they’ll be looking for signs of THC – the psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant. To be legal in the UK, CBD substances need to contain very little, if not no THC. In theory, you should be able to use all of the CBD that you like without having to worry about whether you might fail a drug test.
Trace Levels of Certain Compounds
Does CBD oil show up on a drug test in the UK? Technically, it shouldn’t, since CBD products are generally considered safe and legal. However, the truth is that many CBD products do contain trace amounts of THC. This means that even if you’ve never used cannabis illegally, there is a chance that the THC metabolites in your CBD oil could lead to a positive drug test.
Importantly, the risk of a drug test detecting the tiny amounts of THC in your system is very small if you are using a CBD product from a reputable brand. The official guidelines in the UK demand that no more than 1mg of THC can be contained in any bottle, and there is stringent testing in the landscape to account for this. However, if you get your CBD products from a less reputable company, then there is a chance that you could end up in trouble.
Why Would You Fail a Drug Test When Using CBD Oil?
Drug testing in the UK isn’t an exact science. There’s always a risk to consider when you’re taking CBD oil and working for a business that conducts random drug tests.
For a CBD product to be deemed legal in the UK, it needs to come from a strain of EU approved industrial hemp. These strains are approved because they contain less than 0.2% THC. These legal limits will ensure that the THC you’re exposed to won’t have a significant impact on your cognition or performance each day, but there’s a risk that they could show up in a test.
The standard urine test that’s used to check for signs of THC and other metabolites is very unlikely to detect tiny amounts of THC, but there are other parameters in play that could increase your chances of failing your test. For instance, the amount of CBD that you use, the strength of the substance, and other factors can all be taken into account. Additionally, there’s a risk that the brand you purchased your oil from has had their strain of hemp contaminated with extra THC, which means you end up getting more of this substance into your system than you thought.
To avoid this problem, it’s a good idea to check the information available online about any company you’re going to be buying CBD from.
The Problem With CBD and Drug Tests
Crucially, when you are having your urine screened or going through another test with your employer, the chances are that the organisation will be looking to find components that are illegal wherever you live. For instance, THC in the cannabis form is illegal, but CBD products are not illegal in the UK. This means that your organisation will not be searching specifically for CBD oil.
However, if THC does show up in your test for any reason, the problem with many drug tests is that they are not nearly sophisticated enough to tell the difference between the THC that can be ingested through legal substances like oils, and the THC that comes from illegal plants.
Cannabis can also be detected in your urine for as long as thirty days, which means that it’s impossible to know for certain whether you have been using drugs on company time or not. This means that employers will need to conduct full investigations to determine whether disciplinary action is necessary.
Are There Any 100% Safe Options?
If you’re concerned about what may happen when you’re using CBD oils and working for a business that screens for drugs, then you might be wondering if there are any safe ways to prevent yourself from encountering a positive testing mishap. Unfortunately, the truth is that most of the brands selling CBD today are lying if they tell their customers that they can definitely pass a drug test on their substances. Many full-spectrum CBD products will contain trace amounts of THC. Though there’s always a risk, the chance of a positive drug result is much higher if you buy from a brand that you don’t know much about. Purchase your substance from reputable sources if you want peace of mind while you reap the benefits of CBD.
It may also be worth considering things like winterized CBD isolate products. These products isolate the CBD from other substances within the mixture so you should be less likely to have issues with your drug test. However, as mentioned before, it’s very difficult to know for certain what might appear during your drug testing, so take extra caution.
Is There Anything You Can Do?
So, are there any tips to ensure that no fellow CBD user fails their drug test in the UK? We’re here to share them with you.
- The easiest option is to start by making sure that you consult a medical professional. When taking a new medicine or supplement, your doctor or a nutritionist might be able to point you in the right direction when choosing which CBD product you should take to avoid any problems.
- Additionally, once you decide on a CBD product that you want to try, make sure you double-check the quality of the content that the manufacturer provides. Some of the best CBD companies in the country today offer useful insights into the tests that their products go through. This ensures that your risk of getting a false-positive result in a drug test is as low as possible.
- Consider reading some reviews when looking for the perfect product. In some cases, people with similar concerns about drug test CBD results might be able to provide some useful advice. If your employer ever does detect CBD in your test and this causes you to fail an evaluation, you can consider showing them the product that you take and highlighting the fact that very trace levels of THC might come through in your urine.
Making the Most of Your UK CBD
Provided you’re consuming a high-quality product with CBD in it, then you know the answer to the question, “Does CBD oil show up on a drug test in the UK?” You shouldn’t have to worry about your oils potentially leading to a failed marijuana screen or test experience. The low levels of illegal cannabinoids in high-quality substances mean that they’re very unlikely to trigger any positive results. Additionally, some companies produce CBD that is so pure, that the THC which might be in them isn’t necessarily detectable.
If you make sure you do your research when choosing your CBD substances, then you should be safe from issues with your employer and the law.