I am a 48 year old man who realized that my lifestyle was not beneficial to me or my family. I was drinking 1/2 a case of beer daily as well as smoking marijuana. I would not say I was a heavy smoker, a"joint" would last me 2-3 days, but i did smoke everyday. I have since quit and feel terrific, I have lost about 20 pounds and my life is looking bright. I have an opportunity to get a great job, but they perform urine drug tests for pre employment. I recently did a home drug test and it came up negative, however after I returned from the gym later that day, ( I performed an hour of cardio on the elliptical machine-machine said I burned 735 calories) I performed another test and I came up positive. I am very upset and feel as everything is starting to crumble. I believe that when I am required to take the test, I will be "clean" for 35-45 days. Do you feel that with your experience that I should pass this test? why did I show positive after doing my exercise? Someone told me that with cardio, I "dumped" more fat with THC into my system raising my level above the detectable range, is that true? I really do not wish to loose out on this job and im starting to get depressed. Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Male Person's Age: 48
Thank you for your question:With daily use of marijuana, the detection period in urine is generally in the 10-15 day range. Even with heavier use, the detection period generally is not more than 30 days. While there are reports of longer detection periods, these generally have been reported in VERY heavy users.Home tests use immunoassay technology that is prone to false positives. Employment tests are almost always confirmed with GC/MS technology that eliminates this issue. Your 2nd test following exercise likely was more concentrated, which would increase the chance of a false positive.At this point - 35+ days clean, your test should be negative.
would this 30 day period be affected on how long the person used marijuana? few years/ months? also, i would like to retest myself for my own piece of mind, should I not do it after exercise?
The detection period is primarily determined by the amount/frequency of use. WIth the level of use that you describe, most people would be expected to have negative tests by 10-15 days.Excercise tends to cause dehydration, which concentrates the urine, resulting in higher levels of everything; including substances that can cause false positives. A test done when adequately hydrated would be more appropriate. However, the home tests can ALWAYS give false positives, so a positive really would need to be confirmed with a GC/MS test.
So do you believe that 35+ days clean would give me a good probability of passing and getting on with a better life?I know that you cant give me a " definite" I would not expect anyone to do that, but with your experience in these matters, do you think my chances are good? im sure you have seen many cases
There are 2 words I try to avoid is medicine; "always" and "never" - however by 35+ days drug free, I would not be worried about a positive drug test unless the drug testing was done on hair.Urine tests at this time would be expected to be negative. Hair tests could be positive for up to 3 months.
Experience: Medical Review Officer - Physician Trained and certified in drug test interpretation
Thank you! thank you! thank you! you have helped to remove a large weightooofof me! I will be forever in your debt!