First of all, if you’ve ended up here in a time of need, we want to say that you are not alone, and Google’s search query supports our sentiment. Countless folks before you have prostrated themselves before the Oracle of the Internet for answers, and no telling how many sets of clammy fingers have anxiously punched across cold keyboards in the dead of night: “How to pass a drug test in 24 hours.”
How to Pass a Drug Test in 24 Hours
Normally, lying is a big ol’ no-no for us at a Pot for Pot—that is, unless it gets in the way of our capacity for self-sustenance and self-care, which we take pretty darn seriously. Despite the current federal restrictions on marijuana legislation, the truth is that the future is bright for our Green Goddess, Mary Jane. Most states already have some form of legalization either on the books or in the works, and it’s only a matter of time before the federal government legalizes marijuana too. Legislatures are coming around to what we’ve already arrived at culturally, which is that people who have anything to do with cannabis—people whom in the not too distant past were considered ne’er-do-wells, miscreants, perverts and hippies (yick!) are actually people like us—professionals, home gardeners, families, patients treating health conditions…and hippies.
Of course, none of that changes the reality of now, which is that people are still ordered to take drug tests and fired or penalized for their marijuana usage. As much as we like to be tongue and cheek about (most) things, we realize that the stakes are high for those wanting to know how to pass a drug test in 24 hours, particularly for people who have to answer to probation and parole officers. We don’t condone people misrepresenting themselves, but, for those hell-bent on figuring out how to pass a drug test in 24 hours, we’ve come up with some ways that a person might hypothetically go about doing that.
Information You Should Know: What Kinds of Drug Tests, How They Work, What they Detect
When you are tested, you will take either an immunoassay test or a GCMS (gas chromatographic mass spectrometer), or both. Either way, the damning evidence these tests are looking for are cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are the chemical components of marijuana that allow us to feel the medicinal or recreational effects of marijuana, and they are also the ingredients that can get us fired. There are blood tests, urine tests, and hair tests.
The 5 Panel Immunoassay Test
The most commonly administered test is the 5 panel, or immunoassay test. It’s the standard, pee-in-a-cup drug test that you can find at your local pharmacy. Test strips are dipped in the urine sample, and provide a reading within minutes. When testing for marijuana and other drugs, the results of the immunoassay method are dependent upon the concentration of certain proteins in the urine, saliva, or blood sample. This means that once cannabinoid metabolites reach the 50 ng/mL threshold, the test will read positive. It’s called a 5 panel test because it doesn’t just test for weed—it usually tests for opiates, methamphetamines, MDMA, Cocaine, and sometimes PCP.
It’s really important to note that marijuana has none of the fatalities, health consequences, or rates of addiction associated with the other drugs on the panel. In fact, the positive health effects of marijuana have inspired a lot of people to start growing their own weed. Unfortunately, however, the half life of THC in the body is way longer than, say, heroin, which is undetectable after just a couple days. This is the bad news for cannabis users: traces of marijuana are much less likely than other drugs to clear within a short amount of time, which may put people who need to pass a drug test within 24 hours in a difficult situation. The good news, however, is that these tests are much easier to fool than GCMS testing.
Urine, Hair or Blood?
Find out what kind of test you’re going to be taking. Do you have the option to choose your test? While urine can detect traces of marijuana for up to several weeks, a saliva test is better for detecting whether or not someone is actually impaired at the moment of or immediately before the test. The same is true for blood tests, although these tests are not as common and more likely to happen with law enforcement. Saliva and blood tests are not accurate readers of past marijuana usage, and can really only detect THC if you’ve been smoking within the past 24 hours or so. For this reason, you should insist on taking the saliva test if you have the option. If pressed for a urine sample, consider claiming performance anxiety—after all, it’s pretty bizarre that we expect grown professionals to pee for a bunch of strangers and pretend like that’s normal and totally not an invasion of privacy.
And for gawd sake, stay the hell away from a hair sample if you can help it. If your work is demanding this kind of test, they’re looking to see if you use marijuana frequently. These are pretty accurate tests, the hardest to cheat, and they can detect cannabis usage for as long as a year.
GCMS Testing
This kind of testing is a much more serious animal. Oftentimes, a testing lab will first put a sample through an immunoassay test. If the test reads positive or seems suspicious, labs will then test the sample again using the GCMS method. Gas chromatography, using a mass spectrometer (GCMS), is a process that pulls the specimen apart into its constitutive molecules. This means that it’s a lot harder to hide from a GCMS because it reveals the ingredients in your urine, whereas immunoassays only measure the concentration of metabolites. If your original 5 panel test comes up positive or is deemed suspicious, they’ll test it again using this method to confirm.
Related: Am I Too High? How To Sober Up from Weed
How Weed Metabolizes in your Body and How long it Takes for Marijuana to Become Undetectable
Understanding how marijuana metabolizes in your body will give you an idea of how long cannabinoids will remain detectable in your system. Cannabinoids are stored in fat cells, which is why it takes a looong time for traces of THC (specifically THC-TOOH) to disappear. The length of time it will take you to get below 50 ng/mL depends upon how regularly you ingest any form of cannabis.
How Long Weed Stays in Your System for Light Smokers
Are you super worried about that party you went to last month that was so lame that you got cross faded with a random joint someone handed you and cheap beer in a plastic cup? We would too if we had to listen to 4 straight hours of shitty house music while being hit on by a bunch of dudes with high fades, bad tattoos, and all looking like they could be named Kayden (or Braden, or Mason…). Anyway, your odds of passing a drug test in 24 hours are better than most. If you smoke relatively infrequently, say once or twice a month, it’s possible for you to be able to pass a drug test on your own in as soon as a few days to a week.
How Long it Takes for Marijuana to Become Undetectable in Moderate to Heavy Smokers
If you are smoking more often than a couple times a month, traces of THC will stay present in your body for a longer period of time. For people who ingest cannabis products about once a week, it may be possible to clear a drug screen after ten to fourteen days. If you are smoking, eating, or vaping THC daily or multiple times a week, it will most likely take at least three weeks and up to ninety days for marijuana to fully exit your system (eek!). But this is why you’re here though, isn’t it? Regardless, there are some ways to help you out of the predicament you’re in and get you ready to pass a drug test in 24 hours.
Methods that Work: How to Pass a Drug Test
Drink Water to Flush Cannabinoids
“Dilute, dilute, dilute—OK!” Turns out that the soapy-sudsy enunciations of all-natural ecstasy on the back of that Dr. Bronner’s label are more than idle shower-reading. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution! Before you do anything else, drink LOTS of water. By “lots,” we mean by the gallon, or until your urine runs almost clear. Recall from earlier that the threshold concentration for THC to test positive is 50 ng/mL. This means that you don’t have to be totally clean, just dilute enough to remain under the threshold, and you’ll confuse a 5 panel test.
So now that you know this secret, you’re all set! Just kidding, everyone’s sly to this method, including employers and testing labs. Tests do frequently detect diluted urine, either by sight (too clear) or in a lab, and facilitators might interpret this as a red flag. What you need to do then, is make your watered-down urine look legit. Take B vitamins beforehand to add a convincing yellow tint. Creatine is a substance that is present in a typical, undiluted urine sample, and it is possible for labs to test your sample for this. Take creatine supplements beforehand to make up for lost levels. Even if they do flag your urine for being too diluted, they will most likely order you to submit another urine sample, which buys you more time.
Be an Athlete
Apparently, no one gives a flying f–k if you’re smoking weed or not, so long as you’re in sports. But only good ones (sorry Michael Phelps). You know, the ones that let coach Mcguirk relive his highschool days and make ‘Merica proud by scoring touchdowns and concussions, so we can all have something to yell about while we eat stuff that’s dipped in ranch and comes in crockpots. It’s no secret that athletes (high school, college and pro) consume weed just like anyone else. So how do they do it? Mostly, they flush it out, and mostly, officials are happy to look the other way because ‘Merica needs our sports and spicy hot wings!
Beat a Drug Test with Detoxes, Cleansers, and Additives
You can also pass a drug test in 24 hours by either adding stuff to your body or adding stuff to your urine. Just a cursory internet search will bring up a plethora of cleanses and detoxes that claim to rid your body of cannabinoids, or to at least mask them. A cleanse is usually a supplement that is intended to erase signs of cannabis for the short term. This means that if you start smoking immediately after you test, you could fail if you are asked to test a second time. So hold off before smoking! There are many detoxes out there that claim to permanently erase all traces of cannabis from your system, but these generally require you to prepare in advance of 24 hours.
An oldie but a goodie is to add chemicals to urine. Bleach and eye drops will do the trick, but be mindful that testers are familiar with this method, and will likely notice if your urine is a little too obvious. If you’re using chemicals, make sure that your urine doesn’t smell or look discolored. If your urine is put through a GCMS test, be prepared for the possibility that a lab might detect signs of tampering.
Interestingly, one tried and true way to beat a drug test in 24 hours is to take aspirin. The day before your test and leading up to it, take high doses of aspirin. This will effectively mask evidence of cannabinoids in an immunoassay test, but not a GCMS test.
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Fake Your Urine Sample
The best way to ensure that your urine is clean enough to pass a drug test is….to throw it out. Regardless if you are diluting, cleansing, or supplementing, all of these methods leave some likelihood of detection. Use a friend instead! Using clean urine is the most surefire way to guarantee that your pee is drug free, you lil’ upstanding citizen, you!
You can also purchase synthetic urine that you can use as a substitute for your own. It’s possible that a lab might figure it out—if they really wanted to put in the work—but a simple internet search will show you some pretty high ratings for synthesized urine. Regardless if your urine is borrowed or fake, remember that in order to avoid an immediate failure, your sample must be the correct temperature. Urine should be between 90 and 100 degrees fahrenheit—if it falls below or over this range, the temperature strip in the test will detect it. People often carry their clean urine sample in a small plastic bag or bottle, and keep it stowed against the body for warmth—in pockets, or under pants, for example. Add to this by using hand-warming packets meant for mittens and boots.
The tricky part is passing the impression that your golden offering is a gift from your very own loins and no one else’s. Which really isn’t tricky, as much as it is ballsy (da-da-tss!). Fortunately, there are a number of devices you can use to deliver your cannabinoid-free sample. That’s right, we’re talking about prosthetics. Oftentimes, your synthesized urine and prosthetic delivery system come right in the same package. These interesting little devices are typically advertised as fetish toys, but never judge a book by its porny-looking packaging.
Passing fake (or borrowed) urine through a fake wee-wee may seem like quite a production over a little THC, but the whole process is smoother than it sounds, and one of the best options if you really want to pass a drug test in 24 hours. Understandably, the idea of pulling that kind of switcheroo on a testing lab might be scary, but suck it up, buttercup—you’ve got a drug test to pass in 24 hours, and if those cannabinoids really cared about your job, they’d be gone by now.
There are some instances where drug testers will force people to disrobe or pee under direct supervision (pervs!)—these conditions tend to only occur in some parole and probation situations. We wish we could write an article on “How to be Treated Like a Human Being by Your Justice System in 24 Hours” and promise the same kind of results as this article does, but we’d be way out of our league. If this situation applies to you, be sure that you know what your testing procedure is going to be beforehand, so that way you can decide what method is best for you. However, odds are that you’re researching how to pass a drug test in 24 hours because of your job. Most employer-mandated tests don’t require a visual inspection of your equipment (fake or real), so just act confident! Marijuawho? Cannibawaah? No sir, the only grass you f–k with is regulation-compliant astroturf. Mary Jane is just an old-timey lady name, and the only nugs allowed near your law-abiding face come breaded, cut into cute little animal shapes, and taste damn good by the truckload after smoking a bowl of the dankest, melt-into-your-couch indica—wait, we take that back!
Related: Is Marijuana Withdrawal Real?
Methods that Don’t Work—How Not to Pass a Drug Test in 24 Hours
Consuming ridiculous amounts of niacin. It’s not effective, and not pleasant either. You’ll be redder and angrier-looking than Alex Jones slanging miracle supplements. And it’s bad for you! Another terrible mistake is to drink too much water. Yes, earlier we mentioned the importance of diluting your urine, but don’t overdo it, otherwise you risk causing hyponatremia. This nasty condition will make you very sick and even cause death in extreme cases. Don’t use old or cold urine because it’s gross and obvious, and don’t just bug out and leave town either.
Obviously, the best way to pass a drug test in 24 hours is to be prepared well ahead of time. Try testing yourself at home, at various points between smoking, in order to get a sense of how much time you’ll need. Consider taking detox supplements throughout the month, or taking a break from smoking for a while. As stressful as it may be, it isn’t impossible to pass a drug test in 24 hours. Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do drugs stay in your urine?
Most drugs of abuse stay in the body for at least a few days after the last use and are traceable with urine tests.
Is 30 days enough to pass a urine test?
You really need 90 but 30 days should be just enough
Will water ruin a drug test?
The more dilute your urine is, the less detectable any drugs will be.