Brain and Body

This is How Long Different Drugs Actually Stay in Your System

February 11, 2016 | Kelly Tatera

Prescription pills
Photo credit: Brandon Giesbrecht/flickr (CC by SA 2.0)

From cannabis to heroin.

Depending on the drug in question, some drugs can remain in your system for days, weeks, or even months. Drugs can be detected in the urine, blood, and hair, but the amount of time for which they can be detected varies drastically among these groups.

According to a new video produced by Business Insider, here’s how long different drugs stay in your system after being used:

Cannabis

Urine: 7-30 days
Blood: Approximately 2 weeks

Hair: Up to 90 days

Alcohol

Urine: 3 to 5 days
Blood: 10 to 12 hours

Hair: Up to 90 days

MDMA

Urine: 3 to 4 days
Blood: 1 to 2 days

Hair: Up to 90 days

Cocaine

Urine: 3 to 4 days
Blood: 1 to 2 days

Hair: Up to 90 days

Methamphetamine

Urine: 3 to 6 days
Blood: 24 to 36 hours

Hair: Up to 90 days

Heroin

Urine: 3 to 4 days
Blood: Up to 12 hours

Hair: Up to 90 days

LSD

Urine: 1 to 3 days
Blood: 2 to 3 hours

Hair: Up to 3 days

Amphetamines

Urine: 1 to 3 days
Blood: Approximately 12 hours

Hair: Up to 90 days

 

Why are some drugs detectable for much longer than others? It has to do with the varying chemicals that are responsible for the highs, as well as our body’s ability to metabolize them.

However, there’s no completely accurate way to tell how long a drug will remain in your body — drug detection times can vary based on an individual’s age, weight, height, health conditions, frequency of drug use, as well as potency of the drug.

Interestingly, according to OHS Health & Safety Services, whether you’re undergoing any degree of stress at the time you ingest drugs can also have an impact on how long they’ll stay in your system.

Although there’s no 100 percent accurate way to tell how long a drug will remain detectable in your body, there is one proven way to make sure no drugs are traceable in your system: don’t do them.

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