How Does Salivary THC Testing Work?

Posted on Tue, 15 Jul 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 Answered on

Tue, 5 Aug 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Is 12-24 hours the norm for thc in the mouth? Will I pass a swab test after the alloted time? Will the urine saliva blood pills work??

Answered by Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
12 - 24 hours is the usual detection time...

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.

Salivary THC testing has much lower sensitivity than the urine / blood / hair tests. The usual time frame for detection for cannabis by the salivary swab test is 12 to 24 hours. However, in chronic or high quantity users , this may be higher (upto 3 days). So, if your test is within 24 hours, I would say 'fingers crossed'. Unfortunately, using methods like water pills, etc. don't really help in passing the test.

Wish you all the best.

Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar