Since the metabolites of THC stay in the body for a longer period of time than THC does, most marijuana testing detects the presence of THC-COOH or other metabolites in urine. Some tests also detect the active compound, THC, for example when marijuana testing is done using blood or saliva.
What does the test result mean?
Just as for other types of lab tests, both screening and confirmatory tests are interpreted based on a defined cutoff level (e.g., 50 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) for urine samples). If a drug is not present, or if the drug is present at a concentration below the test cutoff, the test will be reported as "undetected," "absent" or "negative." If a drug is present at a concentration equal to or above the cutoff, the test will be reported as "detected," "present", "presumptive positive" or "positive."
A positive or detected initial THC screening result means that the person tested may have used marijuana. Since screening tests are not definitive, confirmatory testing is typically done to verify the results. A positive confirmatory test means the person had THC or THC-COOH in their body when the sample was collected, but it does not confirm when THC was used or ingested.
Testing urine for THC cannot be used to determine the source of THC or its metabolites, time of exposure, amount, or the person's level of impairment.
A negative result does not necessarily mean that the person did not use marijuana. The person's THC levels may be below an established cutoff or the THC may have been already metabolized and eliminated from the body.
Detection times for marijuana vary widely depending on an individual's metabolism, the dose, and frequency of use. Testing can indicate use anywhere from 3 days to more than 30 days prior to testing. Chronic, heavy users of marijuana may test positive for even longer than 30 days after last use.
