Q: While I was at ComFest a few weeks ago I was around a lot of people who were smoking pot. I have a urine drug test coming up and I’m wondering if I might test positive.
A: The urine marijuana test detects a chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active drug in marijuana. THC is stored in body fat and excreted in the urine. For someone who smokes a single marijuana cigarette, THC metabolites are detectable for several days. For chronic marijuana smokers, the level of THC builds up in the body fat over time and is excreted for weeks after the last time they used the drug. Urine drug tests are set with a high threshold to eliminate false positives (people that test positive but do not use the drug).
Traces of marijuana may be detectable in the urine for a day or two in someone who was around marijuana smoke, but if you didn’t personally smoke it, you likely have nothing to worry about. Smelling marijuana smoke at an outside event is very unlikely to result in a positive test, but it’s probably a good idea to avoid enclosed areas where people are smoking, like cars and closed rooms.
A very informative answer! Indeed, there are some individuals who are worried that they may be positive with marijuana test even if they are not smoking, since they hang out with friends who smoke. It’s a good news though that if you’re not smoking, there is really no need to worry about it.