Can an Employer Fire You For Using CBD Oil?

Layoffs are perhaps the fastest way to kill company culture and hurt employee morale. Some companies have strong drug policies that include random drug tests for current employees or possible new hires. Sometimes, for the presence of certain substances, a positive result on a drug test could mean things like being fired with immediate effect.

As CBD is extracted from cannabis, and most drug-tests test people for cannabis, this is a frequent concern for some people who want to know if they will lose their jobs if they use CBD oil.

Need to find out quickly if CBD can get you fired? Want to know how long CBD stays in your system or which drug test it’ll show up on? If you’re a CBD user and you’re facing a drug test, this post is for you. I’ll be providing you with the definitive answers to the most pressing questions you have about CBD and drug tests. I’ll even throw in a few tips on how to further reduce the risk of testing positive.

Key Takeaways:

• Employers do not usually target CBD when they apply drug testing since this cannabinoid is non-intoxicating and unregulated.
• If you are using CBD isolate and you are about to take a drug test, you have nothing to worry about.
• CBD products that could make you fail an employee drug test are those that contain CBD extracts that also contain small amounts of THC or one of its isomers.
• Drug tests for potential new employees seek to detect the presence of THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis and responsible for causing its psychotropic effects or the controversial high that many employers want to avoid in their future employees.
• The type of CBD oil you use makes the biggest difference in terms of employee drug test results.

CBD And Employer Drug Testing

In most companies, food establishments, services, and stores of all kinds around the country, many employers require pre-employment drug tests as a mandatory condition for applicants for job offers. These tests generally seek to detect the presence of cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, phencyclidine, and THC in their potential new employees before closing a contract with them.

Although drug tests usually seek to detect the substances already mentioned, sometimes employers may request specific tests for additional substances.

Nevertheless, employers do not usually target CBD when they apply drug testing since this cannabinoid is non-intoxicating and unregulated. In fact, CBD and its byproducts have been federally legal since the 2018 Farm Bill went into effect.

Therefore, if you are using CBD isolate and are about to take a drug test, you have nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, some products marked as CBD products might cause you to fail a drug test, but not because of the CBD itself.

Although drug tests do not intend to detect CBD, some CBD products may contain higher amounts of other cannabinoids due to the lack of regulation of the cannabis industry and the nature of some cannabis products.

Does CBD Oil Show Up On Employers Drug Tests?

Short answer, no. Pure or isolated CBD oil will not show up on a drug test for employment. But we emphasize the words “pure” or “isolated” because some CBD products could appear on drug tests due to the presence of other substances in them.

Some people may have doubts or concerns about if smoking CBD pre-rolls could make them fail pre-employment drug tests for jobs. But, the truth is that legal hemp pre-rolls are the ones that should cause users the least concern.

CBD products that could actually make you fail an employee drug test are those that contain CBD extracts that also contain small amounts of THC or one of its isomers, as drug tests seek to detect the remaining metabolites of these compounds in the body to determine if a person is a user of cannabis or any other cannabis product of a psychoactive nature.

Many jobs require a certain level of concentration that need their employees to be completely sober. For this reason, many companies have strict policies regarding psychoactive, intoxicating, consciousness-altering, or cognition-altering substances.

Can You Be Fired For Using CBD Oil?

The short answer to this question would be a simple no. But the truth is that reality can be somewhat more complex. Employers are not looking for cannabidiol in their potential new employees since there is no legal problem regarding the use of CBD, and this compound does not intoxicate or alter the mind of people.

Drug tests for potential new employees seek to detect the presence of THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis and responsible for causing its psychotropic effects or the controversial high that many employers want to avoid in their future employees.

Overall, many CBD products, like our Blue Raspberry or Green Apple CBD gummies do not contain any THC, but there are many other CBD products as the primary cannabinoid that may also carry small amounts of THC to cause the famous entourage effect that enhances the therapeutic qualities of CBD.

Therefore, using some CBD products could cause a positive result in a drug test or even give you some type of high or psychoactive effects that, if very noticeable, could be potential grounds for dismissal or a petition for new drug tests by your employers.

Does The Type Of CBD Oil Make A Difference?

Definitely, yes. The type of CBD oil you use makes the biggest difference in terms of employee drug test results. As we’ve already mentioned, some CBD products and oils may contain other compounds from the cannabis plant, including THC, the compound that employee drug tests seek to detect.

In this sense, the most important thing is to know the types of CBD oil that exist and understand their key differences to avoid failing any drug test when your potential new employers require it.

Today´s market is flooded with brands, products, and CBD oils from almost every variety of hemp you can imagine. But in general, there are three main types of CBD oil that almost any kind of product labeled as a CBD product contains.

Full-spectrum CBD Oil

Full-spectrum CBD oil is one of the richest and most potent oils in terms of therapeutic properties because it contains the largest amount of active natural compounds from the cannabis plant. Ironically, this high quality makes it potentially risky to fail drug tests since, in addition to CBD, full-spectrum oil also contains all the other compounds in the cannabis plant, including terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids like THC.

The fact that full-spectrum CBD oil contains all the active compounds of cannabis generates a synergistic interaction between the effects of each of these compounds that enhances the qualities of each one compared to the effects of each of these compounds separately. This synergistic interaction is widely known in the cannabis world as the “entourage effect.”

A perfect example of a product that carries this type of synergistic effect is our live resin CBD tincture, which contains all the terpenes from the live plant in our Sour Space Candy, along with a powerful 50mg of CBD and 2mg of THC added with to enhance the medicinal effects of CBD and the terpene content of this wonderful tincture.

Despite this impressive synergistic effect, the presence of THC in this oil can cause failure in drug tests since, even though it is in small amounts, the liver will still metabolize THC, and its metabolites will remain in the urine and fatty tissues of the body for a while.

Broad-spectrum CBD Oil

From here, we are moving away from the danger zone of failing drug tests for employees. Broad-spectrum CBD oils also contain several active compounds from cannabis plants, including terpenes such as limonene, pinene, myrcene, or linalool, depending on the strain.

In addition to containing terpenes and cannabidiol, broad-spectrum CBD oil can also contain other cannabinoids, such as cannabichromene. This type of CBD oil generally does not contain THC. However, some oils labeled as broad-spectrum CBD oils can contain trace amounts of THC, so they could still cause you to fail employment drug tests in some cases.

Isolate CBD Oil

This is the surest way that one can consume/ingest CBD without risk of failing any employment drug test. CBD isolate is what the term denotes—pure, isolated CBD. As per the above information, CBD oil rises above all other CBD products to be CBD in its purest form.

The fact that this type of oil is manufactured from hemp plants containing less than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, is considered non-detectable as the THC traces in this type of oil go through another process of elimination.

In some cases, isolate CBD oil is manufactured from pure CBD crystalline powder mixed with a carrier oil (whether it is cannabis seed oil, coconut oil or other types of oil).

How Long Is CBD Detectable?

The simplest answer to this question could be the fact that CBD can be traced in the body from several hours to one month after consumption. On the other hand, the actual and according answer is substantially more complex, since the period that CBD affects our organism can vary depending on several different circumstances.

Among the most relevant is how much of it you take and how often, followed by the route the CBD is taking, followed by physical characteristics of each individual.

Also, as with other drugs, the bigger the dose of CBD, the longer your body will take to really flush it out, so it will stay there longer and be detachable for more time.

However, the level of frequency of use also affects the extent of CBD persistence in your system, because the longer you use something, the more it will accumulate in your system. This is especially true for chronic oral ingestion, for which CBD has been detected between 10 to 25 days at minimum. On the other hand, if your use is episodic, the system will advance its self-cleansing.

Smokable CBD can last a week in your system. If you’re wondering whether smoking hemp can make you fail a drug test, the simple answer is no – again, it depends on what you’re smoking. When it comes to smokable CBD, the same should go for oils: full-spectrum or broad-spectrum products can lead to a failed test, while products containing CBD isolates or federally legal hemp products that contain less than 0.3 per cent THC should be fine.

Like so much in nature, what part depends on each of us: how we metabolise things, our body mass index, height and even our age (metabolism slows down after 60 or so), what we eat and drink can all affect how long CBD stays in your system.

It takes longer to peak in your blood if you’ve got food in your belly, but when you get there, it’s usually higher than if you choose to take CBD on an empty stomach. The body might take longer to wash you out when you take CBD on a full stomach as opposed to when you’re fasting.

How to Flush CBD Out of Your System

Although CBD is entirely legal and pre-employment drug testing does not seek to detect the presence of cannabidiol, some CBD products, especially full-spectrum ones, could cause false positive drug tests.

If you know you have a drug test for that potential new job, have taken CBD products recently, and aren’t sure if they contained any traces of THC, there are a few things you can do to flush out of your body any traces of cannabinoids faster.

Basically, the way you can speed up CBD flushing out of your system faster is to cause a faster detox of your system. This is easily achievable using the body’s natural excretion pathways, by which the body gets rid of toxins naturally. You can achieve this detox by doing the following:

• Drink lots of water and fluids.
• You can take medicines or diuretic foods.
• Exercise constantly.
• Eat more fiber.
• You can take detox pills.
• Wait a reasonable time, according to your level of consumption, before taking a drug test.

Drinking a lot of water and liquids is one of the first hacks you can apply. Increasing the intake of water and fluids helps the liver and the body, in general, to eliminate detectable traces of THC from the body. You can complement this hack and help the body get rid of cannabinoids faster by taking diuretics and exercising, which will increase metabolism and help you eliminate traces of CBD and THC through sweat.

Eating fiber-rich foods such as grains, seeds, vegetables, and fresh fruits can also help speed up metabolism and digestive activity. It is also advisable to wait as long as possible without taking CBD products to minimize the risks of having a false positive on your drug test.

But, if you have to take a drug test that was not in your plans, you can also take a detox pill, which can help you complement the already mentioned hacks.

Is CBD Legal on a Federal Level?

Yes, CBD has been legal since the 2018 Farm Bill signed by President Trump entered into force. This Farm Bill redefines the term “marijuana” and lists as legal all cannabis plants that contain up to 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight.

Likewise, it also allows all parts of these plants, cannabinoids, extracts, and derivatives, including CBD, as long as they respect the Delta-9 THC content established by federal laws.

Final Thoughts: Can an Employer Fire You For Using CBD Oil?

Whether an employer has the legal right to terminate you for using CBD oil is relative, as there are many elements. In recent years, cannabidiol (CBD) has been cropping up all over the global media. Science and cannabis users are discovering new therapeutic applications for this novel cannabis molecule.

Today, there are so many people heading to the candle-strewn awaiting room of cannabis, seeking relief from their many medical conditions, that practically anything to do with this cannabinoid is news.

However, because CBD is a new cannabinoid to many enthusiastic consumers and changing regulations on this compound are still unsettled across the country, there are numerous questions surrounding the legality of CBD.

The legality of CBD oil varies not only from one country to another, but also from state to state in the US. When made from hemp, CBD oil is legal nationwide in the US. However, when made from cannabis or containing more than 0.3% of Delta-9 THC by dry weight, CBD oil is federally illegal in the US.

For the worker in a job with a pre-employment drug testing policy for cannabis or its derivatives, the use of full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oil may yield positive results on a drug test.

Certain companies may take disciplinary action against you and even fire you due to your CBD oil use, depending on company policy and the laws in your jurisdiction of residence.

It is, therefore, important to care about what your employer’s drug testing policy is and to be conscious about the use (or avoidance) of CBDs that contain THC traces so as not to encounter penalties or be terminated unexpectedly.

References for this Article:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7281216/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10276760/
• https://www.usda.gov/farmbill
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8115937/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9429743/