Will I pass a drug test?

August 10, 2008 1:56 PM

Will I pass a drug test?

I have read previous questions about similar situations, but would like to ask specifically about my own in order to try to put my mind at ease.

(Lets say) I smoked marijuana (a joint) 2 weeks ago, an isolated use. (Further, lets say) I used to smoke regularly, but not for at least 8 months prior to this isolated occasion.

I'm very skinny and in excellent overall shape. I exercise regularly and drink plenty of water. What are the chances of failing a pre-employment urine drug test if I took it tomorrow? What if I took it a week from today? Two weeks?

There is plenty of information about this on the web, but I don't know how much of it is reliable. Everything I've heard leads me to believe I'll be fine - but as I said, I'd like answers regarding my specific situation to reassure myself.

posted by TSGlenn to work & money (13 answers total)

If you want advice about your specific situation it would help to know what kind of job/company this is. Some places spend the extra dough to test for organics like pot, some don't.
posted by rhizome at 2:04 PM on August 10, 2008

If you just smoked once a couple weeks ago and have been clean for eight months before hand, your body fat percentage (which I'm gonna assume is pretty low if you're very skinny) and lifestyle would probably let you pass a test today. Everyone's metabolism is different, but you seem to be on the safe side of things. A week from today you're looking even better, and two weeks out I'd say there's only an extremely minimal chance that you'd fail.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 2:06 PM on August 10, 2008

I think you'll be fine. If you're extra paranoid, get a take home test and check yourself.
posted by Mach5 at 2:28 PM on August 10, 2008

rhizome, let's just assume they will. Ordinary corporate type job. Is it really extra money? I thought pot was a standard thing to test for.
posted by TSGlenn at 2:40 PM on August 10, 2008

This Erowid experience report might be reassuring: THC Immunoassay Experiment.

THC is detectable using the simple immunoassay strips only for one day after use if a rather small amount had been ingested.

Here's another one: THC Detection Times in Occasional Smoker.

Study Summary:

The study showed that in an occasional marijuana smoker that detection times for THC are approximately 24 hours, within 48 hours of ingestion the subject was testing clean

You can read dozens of reports and the Testing Experience Vault.
posted by muddgirl at 2:51 PM on August 10, 2008

Just anecdotal, but I had a boyfriend who was a pot head, and he always managed to pass pre-employment drug tests (supposedly by drinking tons of water for a couple days before hand). If he could pass a drug test, I don't see how anyone could possibly fail one... LOL.
posted by All.star at 2:56 PM on August 10, 2008

Do not drink tons of water. Your test will come back dilute, and while not positive, it will have the same result as though it had been. The general consensus seems to be 2 weeks of no smoking for regular smokers, 2-3 days for a one time use. I think you should be fine.
posted by GooseOnTheLoose at 3:03 PM on August 10, 2008

TIME PROVEN TIPS:

Vitamin B will turn your urine yellow, even if it's just water. This will keep them from flagging it as a dilute.

You don't have to go crazy with the water. If you've peed clear a couple of times already that morning, you should be fine. I'd recommend 2 liters, maybe a maximum of 4 liters if you have more time to space it out.

Don't waste your money on commercial system cleansers. 2 weeks is a pretty long time.

I, very honestly, would not worry. Congratulations on the new job, dear.
posted by Juliet Banana at 6:15 PM on August 10, 2008

Actually they don't just look at the color of your urine, they test for the actual water content. This shows up as "Specific Gravity" on your test results. But if you're not flooding your system right before (like, a few hours) the test, your specific gravity should be normal.
posted by chelseagirl at 6:53 PM on August 10, 2008

If they do a hair sample, you could be in trouble. Most places don't because it's more expensive.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:10 PM on August 10, 2008

You're probably fine.

Just hope they don't read Ask Mefi.
posted by Ookseer at 8:21 PM on August 10, 2008

Read this: http://ask.metafilter.com/90584/THC-and-screening#1330380 Basically, I don't think you have anything to worry about, but if you think you might, you can mess up the test, give a valid excuse for dilution and then retake.
posted by xammerboy at 8:55 PM on August 10, 2008

(For the information of anyone searching this topic)

I passed! I was able to wait until about a total of 26 days after smoking before taking the test. It was a Quest Diagnostics 6633N SAP 10-50 GC/MS urine test.
posted by TSGlenn at 8:44 AM on August 26, 2008