How Long Does Wax Pen Cannabis Stay in Urine?

Oct 02, 2023

After you use a wax pen, THC may be detectable in your urine for about 30 days, depending on how frequently you use THC, the testing method, and other factors.

People can use wax pens to smoke or dab cannabis concentrates. Cannabis concentrates contain potent amounts of THC, which is the chemical in cannabis that makes you feel intoxicated. Drug tests look for THC and its byproducts — called metabolites — that remain in your system long after you use cannabis.

The length of time that THC stays in your urine can vary, depending on multiple factors. The more you use cannabis, the longer it takes for traces of THC to leave your system.

The same goes for wax pens that contain delta 8 THC or delta 10 THC. As for CBD wax pens, if there's a trace of THC in the CBD wax you use, there's a chance that you’ll test positive for THC.

For urine tests, the period of detection — that is, the length of time that THC is detectable after use — depends on how frequently you use THC.

Cannabis metabolites are fat-soluble, which means they bind to fat molecules in your body. If you use cannabis often, THC may build up in your fat cells, which causes a higher baseline concentration of THC metabolites.

This means people who often use THC can test positive for THC for longer than people who don't use it often.

A 2017 research review suggested that weed may be detectable in urine for the following amounts of time after the last use:

Some urine tests are less sensitive than others, though. Certain tests may stop detecting urine as soon as one day after use. But if there's a chance you’ll receive testing for cannabis, it's best to prepare for the possibility that the urine test will be accurate for longer.

Doctors may perform saliva testing for roadside testing to find whether someone has recently used cannabis. Saliva tests have a fairly short window of detection. In some cases, they can detect same-day cannabis use.

One 2020 review found that, for frequent cannabis smokers, saliva tests could detect THC 72 hours after use.

With blood tests, the detection window is shorter than that of urine and saliva tests. Blood tests typically detect cannabis use within the last 2 to 12 hours.

But a small 2013 study noted that blood tests detected THC 30 days after use in frequent THC users.

With a detection period far longer than that of urine and saliva tests, hair follicle tests can detect THC for up to 90 days after use.

Doctors generally use hair follicle tests to detect drug use in the previous 90 days. After you use cannabis, the chemicals enter your bloodstream and reach your hair follicles via the tiny capillaries in your scalp.

The sweat and sebum surrounding the hair shaft can also contain THC metabolites.

Hair grows about 0.5 inches in a month. When testing for drugs, someone may take a 1.5-inch hair segment to test for drug use during the past 3 months.

There's little to no evidence that THC ingested via wax pen will metabolize differently from THC ingested via smoking cannabis.

When you smoke, vape, or ingest cannabis, the bloodstream absorbs the THC, and the liver breaks it down. THC metabolites remain in your body after the liver breaks down THC.

These metabolites remain in your body long after you use THC. Even after the effects of cannabis wear off, the metabolites are detectable in your urine and saliva. Drug tests look for THC metabolites, not just THC itself.

Eventually, your body eliminates THC metabolites via your urine and stool.

Many factors affect how long THC stays in your system, including:

No, not really. There's little evidence to suggest that there's anything you can do to metabolize THC faster, nor is there anything you can do to eliminate THC metabolites faster.

If you’re concerned that you may receive testing for drugs, there's little you can do other than abstain from further THC use. Drinking a decent amount of water can help keep your kidneys healthy, but there's no evidence that it’ll help you pass a drug test.

Some cannabis detox remedies and kits involve drinking a lot of water to flush the metabolites out of your body and then using creatinine or vitamin B12 to mask the dilution. There's little research on whether these kits are safe or effective.

Also, avoid drinking large quantities of water in a short time. This can cause overhydration, which can be harmful.

Yes. Wax pens and dab pens are portable devices used to vape cannabis concentrates. Wax is one type of cannabis concentrate. People can also use many devices to vape budder, crumble, shatter, and other kinds of concentrates.

Not exactly, but they’re similar. A weed cart — short for cartridge — contains THC oil or concentrate.

People don't usually use wax pens with a weed cart. Weed carts need to attach to a battery or pen.

Wax pens usually come with wax inside the pen. But certain devices may allow you to use cartridges and a concentrate chamber.

You can use a wax pen to vape live resin. When it comes to cannabis concentrates, live resin usually has a more potent effect than wax.

Yes, delta-8 THC will probably still test positive for THC use.

As a 2021 study pointed out, most urine tests — particularly at-home drug tests — can't distinguish between delta-8 and delta-9 THC. This can cause legal difficulties for people who legally use delta-8 THC where delta-9 THC is illegal.

So, although delta-8 may technically not be illegal where you are, you may still experience legal difficulties if you get a urine drug test after using it.

There's little research on this. Some internet users have warned that delta-10 products have caused them to test positive for cannabis use, but this is only anecdotal — and it's possible that those delta-10 products also contained delta-8 or delta-9 THC.

Delta-10 is so chemically similar to delta-8 and delta-9 THC that delta-10 wax may show up on a drug test. If you use delta-10, your urine may test positive for THC.

It may be best to avoid delta-10 if you know you’ll receive testing for cannabis.

Multiple-panel drug tests, including at-home urine tests, don't often test for CBD specifically. But if you use CBD wax containing THC — even trace amounts of THC — there's a chance you’ll test positive for THC.

Although there are no studies about the detection test for CBD wax specifically, a 2021 case report looked at a person who smoked one 250-milligram (mg) CBD-rich cannabis joint daily for 26 days. The joint was 6.0% CBD (15 mg) and 0.2% delta-9 THC (0.5 mg). The researchers detected THC metabolites in the person's urine after 8 days of smoking.

So, if you may get testing for THC, it's best to stick to CBD products that are totally THC-free.

After using a THC wax pen, you could test positive for cannabis for about 30 days after use.

But if you use THC infrequently, the detection window could be much shorter. Infrequent or first-time users may test negative for cannabis use as little as 3 days after using a THC wax pen.

Your biology and the way you take THC may affect how long it stays in your system. The same applies to delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC products, which can cause you to test positive for drug use.

Sian Ferguson is a freelance health and cannabis writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. She's passionate about empowering readers to take care of their mental and physical health through science-based, empathetically delivered information.