(Newswire.net — March 22, 2018) — The way that drugs affect our bodies on a physiological level is something that the average user only has a limited grasp of. Raising awareness and spreading education regarding drugs and the effect they have on our bodies is one of the most effective means we have of reducing drug-related deaths. Better education about drugs and their effects on the human body will also help to reduce stigma and foster an environment in which drug addicts feel that they are able to seek help for their addictions without being judged for their issues.
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Often, the length of time that it takes for drugs to leave the user’s system following administration can tell us a lot about how our bodies process them. You might be surprised to learn how long some drugs stay in your system for. If you are facing regular drug tests, then you might want to know how long your drug use will be detectable for.
In this article, we take a look at some of the most common drugs and for how long they can be detected in urine following use. Of course, the best way to pass a urine test is to not use drugs, but if you do, then you need to know how long they will hang around.
Cannabis
Cannabis is detectable for a relatively long period of time following ingestion. This is because THC, the primary psychoactive component, is fat-soluble. THC is stored in fat cells and slowly released over a period of days to weeks. For someone who is taking cannabis for the first time, or with none already present in the system, it is detectable for 2-4 days. For heavy chronic users, it can be detectable for up to two months.
Cocaine
As with cannabis, the length of time that cocaine is detectable for depends on the frequency of usage. Assuming that we are talking about a urine test, the metabolites of cocaine are detectable for 2-3 days after a single ingestion. In chronic users, these metabolites are sometimes detectable for two weeks after their last use.
Amphetamines
There are a variety of different amphetamine drugs out there. The most common are meth (methamphetamine), MDMA/ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and amphetamine itself, sometimes known as speed. Amphetamines clear the body at more or less the same rate. They are detectable in most people for 1-5 days following ingestion.
Opioids
Opioids are among the most commonly abused drugs in the United States. In fact, the country is currently in the grip of an opioid epidemic, which is ravaging communities and costing lives across the US. The length of time that opioids are detectable varies depending on the exact substance used, but all are within the 1-6-day range.
There are a number of different factors which affect the length of time that a drug is detectable in a person’s urine. It is not the drug itself that these tests look for, rather, it is the metabolites. These metabolites, which are produced as the body breaks substances down, are dependent upon metabolic processes, which can vary between individuals. This variation gives rise to the range of possible times.