Last updated : November 25, 2024
The answer to the title’s question, “Can an infrequent smoker pass a marijuana hair test is a solid probably. Undoubtedly, that answer is disappointing news if you only popped in here to confirm your hope that the answer would be a sound no.
You won’t pass a marijuana hair test if you’ve smoked, eaten, or otherwise ingested pot within the past ninety days.
There is an exception to the rule though. If someone smokes—or otherwise ingests—marijuana for the very first time within a couple of days of taking a drug test, a hair test is going to be negative. The drug metabolites—the broken-down form of THC left in the body after going through the metabolization process—disperse themselves throughout the body awaiting excretion. Marijuana metabolites primarily store themselves in the fat cells, but some find their way to the hair follicle.
That takes a bit more time.
The timeline
Marijuana metabolites that find their way to the hair follicle grow out into the center of the hair shaft. That means they become a part of the hair itself—that’s the case with any drug metabolite and not specific to marijuana. Once there, the metabolite is infused with the hair becoming a part of it and remains forever.
The first time someone uses some form of marijuana, it takes approximately three days for the metabolites to make their way to the hair follicle and, then, begin growing out into the hair. Therefore, if someone ingested THC for the first time just a day or two before the marijuana hair test, it won’t be detected in the hair sample.
The test
A marijuana hair test identifies drugs for ninety days. When the testing technician cuts the sample, it doesn’t matter what length a person’s hair is; lab techs cut it down to one and one-half inches for the test. The specimen is taken from the end cut closest to the scalp.
A human’s hair grows approximately one-half inch a month. Take that times three, of course, and you see why the hair test identifies 90 days of drug use. We will note again that this is the case with any drug panel added to the test. It’s not specific to marijuana.
It’s becoming more popular
The hair follicle drug test is the most expensive employee drug test on the market. Still, more employers are deciding to take on the added cost than in the past. The 90-day detection window allows employers to look for frequent drug use.
That’s because the hair test does more than identify drugs in the hair. It identifies each and every instance of drug use.
Some trucking companies understand the value of gaining knowledge of a potential driver’s consistent drug use. These employers include two types of drug tests in their drug testing procedures. First on the list, of course, is the DOT’s urine test. They also have potential new hires take a hair test. Reports say it’s making a difference in the number of positive drug tests within the company concerning new hires. In fact, some say that when potential drivers learn they will be required to take the hair follicle test, they leave before completing the interview!
Always on the lookout to give other drug users a heads up, we found a list online of trucking companies that don’t require the hair follicle test. Maybe someone should alert the Department of Transportation (DOT) about that. It may speed up the process of replacing the urine test with the hair test.
Desperate measures don’t work
If someone came to this site hoping to discover they don’t need to worry about a marijuana hair test, we’re going to bust another bubble before we go.
If you’ve been reading up on tried and true methods to beat the test…
They don’t work. Here’s why.
Shaving your head won’t get you out of the test.
It is going to look more than a little suspicious if you show up bald on the day of the drug test. Moreover, hair doesn’t just grow on our heads, so the technician will take the sample from other areas of the body.
Second-hand smoke might leave THC in your hair
If you’ve recently been around a lot—as in Cheech and Chong levels of a lot—of pot smoke, it could be possible for a marijuana hair test to pick it up. However, the odds are nearly non-existent that this would happen.
No matter what the product says, THC doesn’t wash out
Shampoos advertised to magically cleanse the THC from your hair don’t work.
And, please, don’t—we repeat, do not—try the Macujo Method. You may well show up for the drug test with a dazed look in your eyes and locks of fried hair in your hands.
The way to pass a drug test
People have been trying to “beat” drug tests since they began. Back in the early days of drug testing, the only test method was the urine drug test. Some people drank lots of water before the test, thereby, diluting their urine and it worked for a while.
However, with the continued technological advances in the industry and the increasing sophistication of laboratory equipment, it’s nearly impossible to beat a drug test today. Moreover, employers now have affordable alternatives with the hair follicle drug test and the saliva—also known as the oral fluids—drug test.
Employers want to provide the safest working environment possible for their employees. They drug test for safety’s sake. Employees who use drugs get into accidents far more often than employees who don’t. They go to the doctor more frequently too.
You don’t need drugs or alcohol to make life better. In fact, it’s bound to have the opposite effect eventually. Trying to hide the fact that you use drugs from your employer is bound to be the least of your problems.
The only way to be sure that you won’t have drugs identified in your system is to live a drug-free lifestyle.
Trust us on that.
