Beware CBD Users: Failing Drug Test Without THC Consumption is Possible

Rose Maxey, a Fresno resident, relayed to ABC30 how her use of CBD pills for her chronic back pain led her to fail a drug test for her temp job.

She told the news outlet how THC was found in her urine despite not taking drugs or even smoking a cigarette. At 61, it’s also the first time she flunked a routine drug test.

CBD and its link to THC

CBD is a derived compound from the cannabis plant that is popular for its alleged therapeutic properties. THC, on the other hand, is a psychoactive component of the same plant species.

According to federal law, CBD is legal as long as it is derived from the hemp plant and contains 0.3% of THC and below. Marijuana, also a cannabis product, has 5% or more THC.

CBD gets embroiled in drug test failures is because regular urine testing cannot distinguish CBD from THC.

Dr. Alan Barbour, a forensic toxicologist, stated that screening for THC might mistake CBD as the psychoactive substance. Professional blood testing might be a better indicator of whether a person consumed THC.

Barbour was the first one to launch a marijuana screening facility in the Valley.

Self-regulated industry

Another reason for CBD causing a false positive drug test result is that the CBD industry is mostly unregulated, or even self-regulated.

Scott John Van Horn from CBD Center said that most CBD products do not come from government-sanctioned programs, making regulations a bit slow to keep up with the trend.

Central Valley CBD Pure’s Steve Penn stated that CBD users are responsible for what they take. They can’t blame anyone when they haven’t paid attention to the product, read the label, or asked their questions before using it.

CBD is considered legal, but there are still several gray areas existing in the industry.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is yet to release official guidelines for CBD and hasn’t reviewed or evaluated CBD products for safety or effectiveness in treating diseases.

In a letter penned by lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the FDA is urged to finalize rules and regulations for cannabidiol, which includes official testing to ensure that the THC level of a product is legal.

Various CBD businesses are also pushing for regulations, seeing as some owners meet run-ins with the law due to uncertainty of whether their products are lawful to sell. Specific issues like which parts of the hemp plant are legal to have gotten CBD shop proprietor in trouble.

Regulation is a good thing, so consumers and businesses have something to fall back to, adds Tower Health Food’s, Shannon Johnson. It’s especially relevant now that people who get tested for drugs suffer from false-positive results after taking CBD.

As for Rose Maxey, she insisted on taking cannabidiol since it works for her. However, she plans on cutting back if she ever gets another mandatory drug screening.