We’re not encouraging anyone to do drugs, but we’re also not going to pretend that our readers don’t do any. If you do and have to, say, take a drug test for a job, it may be helpful to know how long certain drugs stay in the places they’re most likely to check: your urine, blood, and hair follicles.
This video by Business Insider is a quick and dirty breakdown of the approximate durations that certain drugs will remain in your system after their last use, but keep in mind that the drug’s metabolites could stick around longer than indicated. The timeline for you depends on your age, height, weight, amount of the drug used, how often you use them, your overall health, and even your state of hydration. Here’s how it looks:
Alcohol
Urine: 3-5 days
Blood: 10-12 hours
Hair: Up to 90 days
Marijuana
Urine: 7-30 days
Blood: about 2 weeks
Hair: Up to 90 days
Amphetamines
Urine: 1-3 days
Blood: about 12 hours
Hair: Up to 90 days
Methamphetamines
Urine: 3-6 days
Blood: 24-36 hours
Hair: Up to 90 days
Cocaine
Urine: 3-4 days
Blood: 1-2 days
Hair: Up to 90 days
Heroin
Urine: 3-4 days
Blood: Up to 12 hours
Hair: Up to 90 days
LSD
Urine: 1-3 days
Blood: 2-3 hours
Hair: Up to 3 days
MDMA
Urine: 3-4 days
Blood: 1-2 days
Hair: Up to 90 days
Some workplaces typically test for THC (the active ingredient in marijuana), cocaine, opiates (heroin, vicodin, percocet, etc.), amphetamines, and phencyclidine (PCP). The test typically involves peeing in a cup. In rarer cases, they also check saliva, blood, or hair.
These aren’t hard ranges, especially if you’re a chronic and heavy user. For example, a first-time weed-smoker might be able to pass the urine test within a couple of days. Long-time, heavy smokers, however, might have to wait at least 10 days. The best thing to do is to just stop using if you know you have to be tested periodically.
