Updated May 5th, 2023

How long does delta-8 stay in your system? The mild psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant stays in your system for roughly eight days.

Delta-8 is a form of THC, a psychoactive property found in the Cannabis sativa plant. Both CBD and delta-8 are cannabinoids used for medicinal purposes and pain relief. It’s widely known that CBD is non-psychoactive and is even marked safe by the World Health Organization. Delta-8 THC is the psychoactive variant but is not as potent as delta-9, a compound that provides the high in cannabis. Because there are only small amounts of delta-8 in hemp, manufacturers synthetically create it from CBD.

So, how long does delta-8 stay in your system? It depends on quantities, usage and when you had your last dose, but it could take as long as one hour to eight days. There are many ways to take delta-8, and each method of ingestion can also impact the timeframe. The legal compound drug can be found in products such as edibles, vapes and tinctures. Edibles take the longest to enter the bloodstream while vaping is the quickest.

How Delta-8 is Marketed For the Masses

Because delta-8 is made from hemp found in cannabidiol, it’s often marketed as a hemp product. Hemp is considered a natural product usually used to manufacture materials in beauty products and accessories. There’s a misconception that anything labeled hemp must be non-psychoactive, even when ingested. Unscrupulous marketers often promote delta-8 under the guise of hemp. Because of the gray area regarding legal hemp farming, there are loopholes in federal law regarding delta-8.

The legal status of hemp varies from country to country. Stricter countries may even regulate the purchase and distribution of hemp clothing and accessories and give jail time for bringing hemp across borders. Because it’s not approved by the FDA, steer clear of anything with delta-8 THC products and unfamiliar hemp products.

Recent reports from poison control centers in the United States indicated that in one year, 70% of adults from a study of 2,300 cases of exposure to delta-8 THC required medical intervention.

Is Delta-8 Legal?

The National Law Review notes that the 2018 Farm Bill legalized delta-8 by defining hemp as a legal substance containing 0.3% delta-9 or less. The bill didn’t include delta-8 in the definition, essentially legalizing it like CBD and other cannabinoids. Manufacturers can sell delta-8 products, such as tinctures, ointments and pre-rolls, as long as they synthesize the substance instead of extracting it directly from marijuana.

While the Farm Bill federally legalized delta-8, NBC News reports that individual states can ban the substance. If your state allows delta-8, you can buy products online and in person. However, if a judge makes delta-8 illegal, online stores would probably break the law if they shipped orders to your house.

In any case, “legal” doesn’t automatically mean “safe.” From December 2020 to February 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received 104 reports of side effects, including vomiting, dizziness, hallucinations, confusion and blacking out. Likewise, U.S. poison control centers received 2,362 exposure reports, with one ending in death.

Additionally, many delta-8 users experience a “high” that includes confusion, dizziness and psychosis. Delta-8 might be legal, but reckless behavior, such as appearing intoxicated in public, could still result in fines and jail time. Start with small doses in private until you know how it affects you.

Laws change frequently, so research delta-8’s legality in your area before taking a dose, especially if you’re about to apply for a new job.

How Long Does Delta-8 Stay In Your System?

If you get tested for drugs and cannabis on a regular basis, it’s best to avoid delta-8 THC. The compound appears on most drug tests because it has a similar chemical makeup to delta-9 THC, the main hallucinogenic component of the cannabis plant. Giving a definitive answer about how long delta-8 stays in your system is difficult because there are a number of factors affecting the results.

For users who’ve experimented and tried it a couple of times, delta-8 could clear from the body in as quickly as an hour or as long as eight days. Heavy users can expect traces of the compound to show up for up to four weeks after their last dose. On average, most users seem to be “clean” after eight days. However, consider that your metabolism also slows down as you get older, so it might take older users longer than average.

The naturally occurring delta-8 THC in hemp cannabis is low, but the reason for the high levels of delta-8 THC in products is that it’s synthetically isolated/extracted from legal CBD. This can lead to consumers ingesting large amounts of delta-8 in non-psychoactive hemp products.

Delta-8 is easily detectable in urine drug tests but less so in blood tests. If you are concerned about delta-8 coming up in a drug test, try to determine the type of test you will be taking.

Will Delta-8 Show Up on a Drug Test?

GoodRx points out that despite their differences, delta-8 and delta-9 have nearly identical chemical structures and produce the same compounds after you ingest them. If you take delta-8 without using marijuana, you might still fail your drug test. The judge or employer might not care about delta-8’s legality — all they see is a failed drug test.

In fact, some organizations may require a delta-8 CBD drug test that specifically checks for cannabinoids. In their minds, delta-8 is just a loophole for THC users. A delta-8 failed drug test may cost you the job even if you haven’t smoked marijuana for weeks. As a result, you should avoid any substance before producing a sample.

Delta-8 Urine Detection Time

A urine drug test yields the most accurate test results and is usually a two-step process. A brief home testing kit is the first step — if the results are suspicious, urine is sent off to a lab for a more in-depth analysis. There are companies and institutions that may send urine results straight to the laboratory as part of their procedures.

Drug testing of urine is thorough and can detect many substances, ranging from cocaine to opiates, marijuana, ecstasy, amphetamines and more. If you don’t want delta-8 to appear in a routine drug test, avoid it for a month.

When it comes to blood tests, delta-8 is not so easily detected.

How to Get Delta-8 Out of Your System

If you don’t want to risk ingesting delta-8 THC, then avoid hemp and CBD products containing the compound. Real hemp rarely contains any delta-8 THC, so hemp with the compound is bound to have been synthesized.

If you do take delta-8 products and need to cleanse, you can try the following:

  • Increase your water intake to flush your system via urination
  • Up your dose of anti-oxidants by eating plenty of berries
  • Take high doses of vitamins B, C and omega-3
  • Eat clean and add more protein to your diet
  • Drink a daily detox drink — but make sure it’s not another drink enhanced with illegal substances!
  • Exercise as much as possible to sweat out toxins
  • Avoid all THC, hemp and CBD products
  • If you’re concerned about your job or travel and know that a drug test is a requirement, then buy a few at-home drug tests

There is no easy way to manipulate the results of a drug test. You’ll have to do it naturally and hope for the best.

Don’t Get High — Get Help

If you’re looking for a natural remedy to help calm your nerves, try CBD and not products with hallucinogenic properties. Delta-8 isn’t regulated and is considered a health risk, particularly for children. Although the high might be milder than delta-9, it can still create a dependency. Instead of being concerned about how long delta-8 THC stays in your system, consider making lifestyle changes so that you never have to worry.

If you are struggling with addiction issues and need counseling, contact Sunlight Recovery. Just because delta-8 THC is legal doesn’t mean you should take it.