Metabolism is a set of biochemical reactions, transformations, and processes that occur inside the tissues; during the digestion of food, the transfer of substances between different cells, the conversion of said substances (accumulation or breakdown) into energy to keep up the body and the subsequent elimination of waste substances.
Factors Which Affect Drug Detection Times
- Age — The body’s metabolism slows down with age so older drug users often keep substances longer in their system. It’s, therefore, more difficult to flush out drugs from the machine of a user with loads of body fat.
- Ingestion/administration method — The way by which drugs are consumed has a bearing on their detection times. By way of instance, the body takes longer to flush out orally ingested marijuana, compared to when it’s smoked.
- Cutoff degree — the minimum amount of a drug that needs to be present in a specimen in order for it to be considered positive. By way of example, the cutoff level for marijuana in a urine specimen for an immediate testing kit is 50 ng/mL. If marijuana is present and the amount is over 50 ng/mL, the test would show a positive drug test result.
- Drugs undergo these exact processes the minute they are ingested into the human body and are detectable in blood, urine, saliva, and hair through drug testing in a specific window of time from ingestion until all traces are flushed from the system. This window of time is known as the drug detection period.
Drug Detection Times?
| DRUGS | DAYS IN URINE | HOURS IN BLOOD |
| ALCOHOL | 3-5 | 12 |
| AMP | 1-3 | 12 |
| BAR | 2-4 | 48 |
| BENZ | 3-6 Weeks | 72 |
| THC MARIJUANA | 7-30 | 2 Weeks |
| COC | 3-4 | 48 |
| HEROIN | 3-4 | 12 |
| MDMA | 3-4 | 48 |
| MET | 3-6 | 72 |
| OPI-MOR | 2-4 | 24 |
