Testing for marijuana use is becoming more and more popular on the job market today. Not only for health reasons, but also for safety issues. For those of you who are not familiar with marijuana, it is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. It is typically smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes (joints), cigars (blunts), pipes, or water pipes (bongs). The active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the potency and effects of marijuana intoxication. Over the past two decades, THC levels of marijuana in the United States have increased.

There hasn't been a formula discovered to compute how long it takes a person to rid their system of THC. There are only guidelines and even they are somewhat arbritrary.

When testing for marijuana use, it is determined how clear the THC is in a person's system by the following factors: frequency of use of marijuana, duration of use of marijuana, amount of marijuana smoked and the potency of the marijuana. Clearance of THC in a person's system varies from 10 to 90 days according to the usage of the previous listed factors.

There are five types of marijuana tests used on testing for marijuana use; a urine test, a hair test, a saliva test, a residue test and a perspiration test.

Urine drug tests are one of the most popular methods of random drug testing for recent marijuana drug use, as they are easy and convenient to use and provide fast and accurate results. Also, the big advantage to urine drug testing, is that you have the ability to test up to 10 different drugs at one time.

Hair drug tests are one of the most trusted methods of drug detection today. This method is not only accurate but even the smallest amount of drugs will show up on the test. A hair drug test analysis can provide a drug history from over a 90-day period and has consistently proven to be more effective than urinalysis and other methods in correctly identifying marijuana users. Hair analysis evaluates the amount of drug metabolites embedded inside the hair shaft by using a small sample of hair cut at the scalp.

Saliva drug tests provide fast and accurate results. This is the preferred method of drug screening at home and in the workplace and the saliva drug test can detect up to 6 drugs at a time, instantly. This drug test shows marijuana use and the residues of marijuana use for up to 3 days because the residues do not remain in oral fluids as long as they do in urine. Most saliva drug detection kits come equipped with a sponge, which is used to rub the inside of the cheek to collect a saliva sample.

Residue tests or drug identification tests are effortless and easy methods of determining what drug is being used. Simple wipes can be used on a surface of a table, desk, or an other surface where drug use is suspected. Law enforcement agencies and school officials now have the ability to test substances at the scene and obtain fast and laboratory accurate results.

Perspiration tests are also approved for testing for marijuana use. There are studies that have shown the value of detecting drug use through sweat patch testing. But, the major drawback of sweat patch testing is that the production of liquid perspiration varies with room temperature and amount of physical activity. So, the volume of perspiration collected by the patch during the week that it is worn is unknown.

There is nothing anyone can do to hasten the metabolism of THC before testing for marijuana use! Not drinking lots of water, no special teas or vitamin formulas.