If you’re a regular smoker and have a drug test coming up, the wisest thing to do would be to stop consuming cannabis for a minimum of 15 days before the day of your test.

Blood tests can be scary for regular marijuana users, especially when there’s a job or some sort of insurance on the line. While these sort of tests are becoming less and less common for all sorts of reasons, they are still required on special occasions. So, for how long does marijuana stay in the body?

Depending on the quantity of what you smoke or consume, cannabis can stay in your circulatory system for a period that ranges from two to 15 days. As we all know by now, each body is different, and there are a few important factors that should be taken into account, like metabolism, the frequency and quantity of cannabis that was consumed, body mass index, and consumption method (edibles, smoking, etc.)

Occasional consumers can expect to be clean within a couple of days, but moderate and heavy users should expect a different story; cannabis can stay in their systems for about a week. If you’re a regular smoker and have a drug test coming up, the wisest thing to do would be to stop consuming cannabis for a minimum of 15 days before the day of your test.

Your body’s circulatory system is also affected by the way in which you consume cannabis. If you’re smoking, you can expect the THC to show up in your blood instantly. The good news here is that this method ensures that the drug will leave your body within a shorter period of time. When consuming an edible, it’s just the opposite. Once ingested, the cannabis will be processed by your liver, delaying the progress towards your bloodstream. When cannabis is ingested orally the drug will take longer to have an effect and it’ll stay in the body for a longer period of time.

Cannabis is not only present in your blood, it’s also present in your urine and hair. Since there’s fat in these latter two, the THC will latch on and remain there for a period up to two months. Studies have shown that exercising causes dormant cannabinoids in your body pop back into your blood system, even if you’ve stopped consuming cannabis.

The most important thing you should know when asking yourself these questions is the kind of drug test you’ll be taking. Once you know, you can prepare accordingly, taking the necessary measures and precautions to ensure that you’ll get your body clean before you take it.