How Long Does Vaped CBD Stay in Your System?

Many people prefer to vape cannabidiol (CBD) because its effects are instant. The lungs are extremely efficient at absorbing small, fat-soluble molecules such as CBD, so it’s able to go straight into your bloodstream and start working right away (1).

For this same reason, vaped CBD is eliminated from your body quicker than other methods. In most cases, it will be cleared out of your body after about 5-6 hours.

But the precise duration can vary quite a bit depending on several factors. Here’s what you need to know to estimate how long CBD from vaping will stay in your system.

Factors to Keep in Mind

The exact length of time that CBD will stay in your body depends on multiple variables, including the dosage, how often you vape, how much you weigh, and your unique body chemistry and genetics. 

CBD Vape Dosage

Like most substances, the more CBD you take, the longer it will stay in your system. It takes your body (especially the liver) some time to process any substance that comes in, so the more CBD you take, the longer it takes.

How Often You Vape CBD

How often you vape also matters. If you only vape CBD occasionally, it has no chance to build up in your body. But if you vape every day, your body can begin to store in your fat tissue (like other cannabinoids), which means it can stay around for longer (2).

Body Chemistry

Another factor that shouldn’t be overlooked is that everyone’s body is unique. For example, your body’s metabolism might be quicker than normal, which means it can process CBD from vape juice quicker (3).

Age can be a factor too since our metabolism slows down as we get older (4).

The genes related to your endocannabinoid system (ECS) can play a role as well since CBD produces many of its effects by interacting with this system. 

For example, there are dozens of known variations of the gene for FAAH, the enzyme that breaks down one of the main endocannabinoids made by our bodies (5).

How You Take CBD Matters

The way you consume CBD also has a significant impact on how it’s processed, and by extent, how long it will stay in your system.

Unfortunately, most of the scientific studies of CBD use its oral (capsules/gummies) or sublingual (oil) method of administration rather than inhalation (vaping and smoking). 

For this reason, it’s difficult to say precisely how long the CBD from vaping will stay in your system. 

For example, we know that CBD and other cannabinoids have low absorption when you ingest them (6), which is why it can take longer for the CBD from oral products such as gummies and other edibles to clear out of your body.

What Does the Research Say?

In one study of cannabis cigarettes which contained a small amount (0.25%) of CBD, cannabidiol levels were no longer detectable an hour after smoking (7). 

Also, a study using a nebulizer, a device that creates an inhalable mist that’s somewhat similar to the vapor produced by a vaporizer, reported that CBD’s half-life (the amount of time it takes for the concentration of a substance you took to be reduced by 50%) was 1.1 hours.

Considering that about five half-lives are enough to almost completely eliminate a drug (8), we can estimate that CBD inhaled from vaping will stay in your system for about 5-6 hours. However, this situation assumes that you only used CBD once.

Another comprehensive review paper concluded that CBD’s half-life can vary anywhere from an hour to 5 days depending on the way and how often you take CBD (9).

One thing we can say for certain is that if you use CBD regularly, it will take longer to clear out from your body. For example, in one 1991 study, it took more than a week for CBD to be undetectable in the blood of people who took large (700 mg) doses daily for six weeks (10). 

Still, since inhaled CBD is cleared out of the body faster than oral preparations, we can likely lower this number down to several days for people who vape every day.

The Bottom Line

There isn’t enough research to give you a precise answer to how long vaped CBD will stay in your system. 

We can estimate that CBD will clear out of your body about 5-6 hours after vaping if you only vape once. However, if you vape regularly it may take several days or even a week for it to leave your system completely. 

Whatever the case, the great thing about CBD is that it’s non-intoxicating and doesn’t show up on drug tests, so you don’t need to worry. 

The only thing to be aware of is that full-spectrum CBD products contain small amounts of THC (0.3% or less), which could potentially show up on a drug test. 

If you’re worried about drug tests, it’s better to use vape products made with pure CBD isolate, which shouldn’t contain any THC. You should also check the product’s third-party test reports to verify that there’s no THC.