Q: What is the detection time for marijuana on urine drug test?

A: The detection time depends on how someone’s body metabolizes things and it also depends on their frequency of usage. According to LabCorp, if someone smoked 1 to 2 joints, the detection time would be 2 to 3 days. If they are a heavy smoker on a daily basis, then the detection time would be 10 days. A chronic user smoking more than 5 joints a day would be 14 to 18 days. So the frequency of use and metabolism plays a big role in getting accurate results.

Perhaps, instead of testing for marijuana on a urine specimen, you may consider testing for this on a hair follicle specimen. The hair follicle drug screen usually costs a bit more than the urine, but the detection window is much longer than that of the urine test. This should not be used for usage, suspected to have occurred ONLY within the last six days, as the metabolite could take up to that long to make its way into the hair follicle. After that initial stage, any marijuana usage within the last three months will show up on the hair follicle test.