I’m Vaping CBD — How Long Will It Stay In My System?

With the increased popularity of CBD oil, mainly due to its many health benefits, people choose to consume it in several different ways, including vaporizing CBD. 

CBD is an excellent natural remedy for numerous health conditions; it is a non-psychoactive compound derived from the cannabis plant to treat chronic pain, inflammation, and nausea. 

But, it’s natural to still have questions around CBD, particularly around its legality (it’s fully federally legal), its legality in combo with THC (fully federally illegal still), and what it means to use CBD when employer / government drug testing is in the cards.

This post addresses:

• What is CBD, exactly — and what does it mean to use a CBD vape pen?
• How does CBD differ from THC and why is that important for you?
• How long does it take CBD to leave your body when you’ve vaped it ?
•  Latest research on CBD metabolism and detection times

But I’ll let you in on a secret right off the bat — normally, CBD stays in your system for about three to five days.

Of course, there are exceptions to this.

You see, CBD can affect each person slightly differently, and people use it in many different ways so answering these questions about CBD and how long it stays in your system can get a bit complicated.

But here’s another bit of good news – normally, neither employers nor the government actually test for CBD use. So you only have to worry about it if you use CBD supplements that contain other cannabinoids, particularly THC. Using pure CBD? You’re golden.

What is CBD?

CBD is an active ingredient found in the cannabis plant (both industrial hemp and marijuana). It has shown unprecedented potential in recent years as natural medicine. In addition, it is non-intoxicating and non-psychoactive.

This means – it doesn’t get you high. 

CBD doesn’t have any mind-altering effects on humans, but it helps reduce anxiety, stress, pain, and inflammation. Scientific research about the extent of these benefits is ongoing and expanding all the time! 

2025 Update: According to the World Health Organization, CBD oil and other cannabinoids may even have antidepressant and neuroprotective effects. Recent studies have also shown CBD’s potential in immune system modulation, with research indicating it can influence B-cell activation and metabolic pathways in both young and aged populations¹.

CBD oil is used as an alternative to medical treatments, such as opiates. It acts on the endocannabinoid system, which is the system that regulates a variety of bodily processes.

In this system, cells in the brain respond to certain chemicals, including CBD. These effects have seen positive outcomes for pain management, depression, and anxiety relief.

How Can You Consume CBD?

There are various ways to consume CBD. The most common methods are:

Vaping

This method of consumption remains very popular. Typically, people choose personal vaporizer options that are easily portable, such as vape pens or cart pens. 2025 Bioavailability: Recent studies show vaping offers 34-56% bioavailability² – the highest absorption rate of any consumption method.

Edibles

Edibles are food items with CBD mixed into it. This is another popular way to consume CBD, with various products available such as gummies, cookies, and endless other options. Bioavailability: 6-19% (lowest absorption rate)³.

Sublingual (Under the Tongue)

2025 Update: This method has been extensively studied with new findings. CBD oil or tinctures placed under the tongue can achieve 12-35% bioavailability⁴. However, recent research shows that most sublingual CBD actually ends up being swallowed and absorbed through the digestive system rather than the oral soft tissue.

NEW: Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODTs)

Revolutionary 2025 Addition: These tablets dissolve directly in your mouth within 27 seconds and release 99.3% of CBD within 30 minutes⁶. They offer the convenience of sublingual delivery with improved consistency.

Topicals

CBD can also be applied directly to the skin. This is a popular way to use CBD for pain relief or to treat certain skin conditions. Bioavailability: Around 5%, but provides targeted relief.

NEW: Rectal Administration

Emerging Method for 2025: Suppositories or enemas bypass first-pass metabolism (liver and kidneys, which both remove A LOT of the active compound) and offer 13-50% bioavailability⁷ – higher than oral methods. While not commonly used, this method is gaining attention in medical applications.

Inhalers

Inhalers are used to deliver CBD directly to the lungs. The inhaler device heats the CBD oil so it can be consumed.

What Happens When You Vape CBD?

 

Vaping CBD oil helps the body absorb the entire compound and maximize the CBD oil’s anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties. This method, also called CBD vaporization, heats the oil to an extremely high temperature to vaporize it, which allows the CBD to be inhaled and enter the bloodstream. 

2025 Research Update: When you vape CBD, it reaches your bloodstream through the lungs within 6-10 minutes, with peak concentrations achieved within 6-10 minutes. The high bioavailability (34-56%) makes this one of the most efficient delivery methods.

What Happens When You Ingest CBD?

Ingesting CBD through food and drink is another popular method of consumption. New Research: It typically takes 30 minutes to 5 hours to reach peak absorption after ingestion, depending on whether you’ve eaten.

Game-Changing 2025 Discovery: Consuming CBD with a high-fat meal dramatically increases CBD absorption compared to taking it on an empty stomach. Recent studies show 17.4x higher peak blood levels and 9.7x greater total exposure⁸. This is a massive improvement over the previously reported 4x increase.

What Happens When You Absorb CBD?

The least common option is using topical CBD products to absorb CBD through the skin. Although this method works, it may prove to be the least effective method as people often report a smaller amount of relief from using topical products compared to the other two methods mentioned. However, if you’re looking to target a specific area on your body or want a more mild dosage, this may be an excellent option for you! 

How Does the Body Process CBD?

CBD breaks down in the body through a series of complex pathways. First, it enters your bloodstream through your liver. Then, it is absorbed through your gastrointestinal tract into your intestines. Finally, the endocannabinoid system metabolizes CBD as it moves through your system.

2025 Metabolite Research: CBD is primarily metabolized into 7-hydroxy-CBD (7-OH-CBD), which is now understood to be pharmacologically active and may contribute to CBD’s therapeutic effects⁹.

CBD enters your bloodstream via your liver first. The liver is responsible for approximately 40 percent of your metabolized functions. It breaks down the endocannabinoid molecules into their constituents, CBD, and an endocannabinoid called anandamide (the so-called happiness molecule).

New Understanding: CBD is metabolized primarily by CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 enzymes, with significant individual variation in enzyme activity affecting how long CBD stays in your system¹¹.

Why Does CBD Affect Everyone Differently?

The endocannabinoid system is complicated, and each person is unique. This is why each person’s reaction to CBD can vary, including how long it stays in each person’s system. 

One of the reasons for these differences is our metabolism (which occurs mainly in our liver). Our bodies are unique, and we each have different rates at which we absorb and metabolize food and compounds such as CBD. This is due primarily to the difference in liver health and function from person to person. The liver’s job is to absorb, store, and eliminate a wide range of compounds and chemicals. By metabolizing, the body can break down and destroy chemical combinations, such as CBD.

Secondly, your body is constantly changing and adapting. Your body cannot absorb CBD without altering some of its natural enzymes. That means, depending on your age, medication, and medical history, it could take anywhere from one to 24 hours for your body to absorb the full dosage. This delayed onset impacts how long CBD will stay in your system as well.

2025 Addition: Recent research shows gender differences in CBD metabolism, with males showing higher bioavailability increases from high-fat meals compared to females.

How Does Your Body Metabolize CBD?

 

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the most researched compounds in the cannabis plant. It is typically extracted from the plant in a decarboxylated form. This is because Decarboxylated CBD is the form the body can most easily absorb. That being said, the absorption of CBD in the body is still fairly slow. As we mentioned earlier, this absorption and digestion are slightly different from person to person. 

Due to people’s varying metabolic rates and liver functions, they also have different levels of tolerance. Higher tolerance means people may need to consume more CBD to feel the same effects as lower tolerance. Tolerance is also impacted by how often you utilize CBD, as your body might react less to CBD over time.  

How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?

As with many medications, drugs, or other substances – your body has a range of enzymes that break down CBD in your liver and to then be excreted through your urine.

2025 Research Update: The main enzymes that breakdown CBD are:

1. CYP3A4 (primary pathway)
2. CYP2C19 (secondary pathway)
3. UGT1A7, UGT1A9, and UGT2B7 (glucuronidation enzymes)

For most people, these enzymes work fast, and they flush CBD out in about three to five days.

Just like with medications, it can be a bit of a trial and error effort to determine exactly what dose of CBD is most effective for you and your body. Luckily, it’s not a complete shot in the dark as there are several factors you can look at to determine how long CBD will remain in your body.

Dosage Amount

The higher the dosage, the longer CBD will stay in your system.

Dosage Frequency

The more often you use CBD, the longer it stays in your system as it builds up over time. The more often you use it, the more likely you are to simultaneously increase dosage due to your increased tolerance (as discussed earlier).

Body Composition and Liver Function

Body composition, age, and liver function may all impact your metabolism and, therefore, how long CBD stays in your system. Because CBD is fat-soluble, people with a higher concentration of body fat tend to hold CBD in their bodies longer than those with a lower concentration of body fat.

2025 Half-Life Data: CBD elimination half-life varies significantly by delivery method¹²:

• Vaping/Smoking: 1.4-10.9 hours
• Oral consumption: 2-5 days with chronic use
• Intravenous: 24 hours
• Single sublingual dose: 6 hours

Typically, people look for a “magic number” of how long CBD will stay in their system. They want an exact answer, such as one week or one month. However, someone else can’t tell you how long it will stay in YOUR particular system due to the factors above. It ranges from person to person – from weeks to months. 

And like I’ve already said – except in very niche situations (potential drug interactions), you shouldn’t concern yourself with this. No one tests for CBD specifically. But if you use full-spectrum oils (meaning, there are trace amounts of THC in there), then you should plan between 1-3 weeks of detox to be on the safe side.

How Long Does It Take Vaped CBD to Leave Your System?

Remember that cannabinoids impact everyone differently and that your usage pattern is what most accurately predicts how long it will take for them to leave your body.

Three to five days is the norm… but you shouldn’t count on it.

Also, different types of cannabinoids have different effects on your body. For example, ingesting THC into your body makes you feel high. CBD, on the other hand, can make you feel more relaxed and calmer.

CBD, in particular, has been shown to have many beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and anti-convulsive properties.

Our bodies respond to the CBD compound; the efficacy and how long it stays in your system can vary greatly. Typically, high dosage and high-frequency use will keep the compound in your system longer, but those with liver issues may also have a hard time clearing their system out.

Urine Testing

• Single use: 3 days
• Moderate use (4-5x weekly): 5-7 days
• Daily use: 15-30+ days
• Heavy daily use: 30+ days

Blood Testing

• CBD detection: 6 hours after single dose
• THC metabolites: Up to 7 days

Hair Testing

• Detection window: Up to 90 days
• Note: Most hair tests don’t specifically test for CBD

Saliva Testing

• Detection window: 24-48 hours
• Less commonly used

Important 2025 Drug Testing Information

Critical Update: While CBD itself shouldn’t show up on standard drug tests, there are important considerations:

THC Contamination Risk

• Full-spectrum CBD: Contains up to 0.3% THC and carries the highest risk
• Broad-spectrum CBD: THC-removed but may contain trace amounts
• CBD Isolate: Purest form with no THC (safest for drug testing)

Detection Thresholds

• Standard urine test cutoff: 50 ng/mL of THC metabolites
• High daily CBD use: Even 0.3% THC can accumulate and trigger positive tests
• Daily consumption of 2,000mg+ CBD: May cause positive THC tests

Avoiding False Positives

1. Choose CBD isolate or broad-spectrum products
2. Look for third-party lab testing certificates
3. Avoid full-spectrum products if subject to testing
4. Stop CBD use 30+ days before important tests
5. Verify products are THC-free certified

2025 Bioavailability Enhancement Strategies

Based on latest research, here’s how to maximize CBD absorption:

The High-Fat Meal Effect

• Timing: Take CBD with or shortly after a high-fat meal
• Effect: 17.4x higher peak blood levels, 9.7x greater total exposure
• Peak delay: Absorption peaks later (10 hours vs 5 hours)

Sublingual Optimization

• Hold time: 30-90 seconds under tongue
• Reality: Most still gets swallowed and absorbed through GI tract
• Tip: Combine with high-fat food for maximum effect

Advanced Formulations (2025)

• Nanoemulsions: Improved water solubility
• Liposomal CBD: Enhanced cellular uptake
• Cyclodextrin complexes: Better sublingual absorption

Conclusion

So, in short, the higher the dose and frequency of CBD you take, the longer it will stay in your system.

2025 Summary: CBD metabolism is highly individual and depends on multiple factors including delivery method, dosage, frequency, body composition, and genetic factors affecting liver enzymes. While 3-5 days remains the average for occasional users, heavy users may test positive for weeks to months.

The key takeaways for 2025:

• Vaping offers highest bioavailability (34-56%)
• High-fat meals dramatically increase oral absorption (17.4x peak levels, 9.7x total exposure)
• CBD isolate is safest for drug testing
• Detection windows vary greatly by usage pattern
• Individual enzyme variations create significant differences in metabolism

Always consult with healthcare providers before using CBD, especially if you’re subject to drug testing or taking other medications. The CBD landscape continues to evolve with new research, better products, and improved understanding of this fascinating compound.

References

1. Yekhtin, Z., et al. (2025). Differential metabolic pathways underlie THC- and CBD-mediated inhibition of B-cell activation in both young and aged mice. Frontiers in Immunology, 16:1605474. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1605474/full

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3. Millar, S.A., et al. (2018). A systematic review on the pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol in humans. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9:1365. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6275223/

4. Huestis, M.A., et al. (2019). Cannabidiol pharmacokinetics after nasal and transdermal application. Clinical Chemistry, 65(11), 1435-1444.

5. Johnson, M., et al. (2023). Sublingual versus oral cannabidiol: A pharmacokinetic comparison. Scientific Reports, 13:8765.

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8. Thompson, K., et al. (2025). A high-fat meal significantly impacts the bioavailability and biphasic absorption of cannabidiol (CBD) from a CBD-rich extract in men and women. Scientific Reports, 15:3678. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-87621-4?error=cookies_not_supported&code=f75b3c03-c19e-4be2-80a3-20a7bb9cff1d

9. Pellesi, L., et al. (2018). Human metabolites of cannabidiol: A review on their formation, biological activity, and relevance in therapy. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 3(1):94-112. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5576600/

10. Harvey, D.J., & Brown, N.K. (1991). Comparative metabolism of cannabichromene, cannabigerol and cannabidiol in rabbit. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 19(2):378-389.

11. Anderson, L.L., et al. (2024). Cannabinoid metabolites as inhibitors of major hepatic CYP450 enzymes, with implications for cannabis-drug interactions. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 52(8):856-867. https://dmd.aspetjournals.org/article/S0090-9556(24)08016-4/fulltext

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13. Taylor, M., et al. (2018). A phase I, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose, multiple dose, and food effect trial of the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of highly purified cannabidiol in healthy subjects. CNS Drugs, 32(11):1053-1067.