Can Second Hand Smoke Make You Fail a Drug Test

Second hand smoke most likely does not make you fail a drug test. Second hand smoke can leave traces of the chemical tetrahydracannabinol (THC) in the urine for a day or so. However, the amount is usually not enough to make the test results positive. Most drug tests have high standards in place to avoid showing false positives from exposure to second hand smoke. Avoiding smoke-filled cars, .

It may concern anyone going on a job interview or visiting a probation department that he/she may or may not pass a drug test, especially after exposure to second-hand smoke. Perhaps, after an athlete or military serviceperson attended a party and second-hand marijuana smoke imprinted a contact buzz, random drug testing is feared. Most likely, that person can rest at ease. In any case and as a safeguard, knowing certain facts about second-hand smoke can bring some fresh air.First, most nonsmokers have nothing to worry about. Second, marijuana smoke inhaled second hand, whether or not it produces a buzz, can leave traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in urine for about 1-2 days after smoke is inhaled, depending on body mass and activity. Third, most immunoassay drug tests, including standard EMIT, ELISA and RIA tests, are set at high thresholds intentionally to avoid false-positive results due to incidental ingestions of second-hand smoke. So the amount breathed in is not usually enough to produce a positive test. Hair testing generally evaluates persons' drug use over longer periods of time, such as 1-2 months or several weeks of heavy drug ingestion. Hair testing is rarely performed because results are not as reliable as outcomes from urine tests.Next, the lungs do not filter THC out of smoke; they absorb it in small amounts. Smoke inhaled secondarily must infiltrate the lungs in heavy concentrations in order to produce clinically positive tests. Smoke exhaled by one person and inhaled by another or smoke that floats in a space may not contain the original high concentrations of THC; hence a small-to-zero likelihood that drug tests could read positive.Another point: tests for marijuana screen for THC metabolites; they do not test directly for THC. THC is fat-soluble and is released into the blood stream, exiting the body when broken down by liver enzymes via oxidation and metabolization over time. So, unless a urine sample is taken right at the time a large amount of THC is inhaled, a drug test should remain negative.