How Long Does Delta 10 Stay in Your System? 

Delta 10 is now a mainstream cannabinoid thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill. Given how new the substance is, you probably have some pressing questions, such as, "How long does delta 10 stay in your system?"

Welcome to this ultimate delta 10 guide! Today, I want to take you through the essentials of this emerging compound. We will explore delta 10 and drug tests, its effect on prescription medication and, of course, how long it stays in your system.

Before we get into the specifics, let’s begin with a quick overview – or refresher, depending on your experience – of what delta 10 is! 

What is Delta 10?

Delta-10-Tetrahydrocannabinol (i.e., Delta-10-THC, or Delta 10) is a cannabinoid occasionally found in natural cannabis. Delta-10 is a THC isomer known for its similar but weaker effects.

Cannabinoid researchers consider naturally-occurring delta-10 a degradation product rather than a direct cannabis creation. But regardless, manufacturers of commercial products do not source delta 10 from hemp but from laboratories.

Scientists first concocted delta 10 in the 1980s. There are two delta 10 enantiomers – an R and an S conformation – although the R conformation is more active. It is not unusual for lab-made THC isomers and derivatives to have enantiomers.

Delta 10 products have recently popped up as tools for recreation and wellness. Companies selling delta 10 are cashing in on a loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill, which loosened the federal law on hemp and cannabinoids in the United States.

How Long does Delta 10 Stay in Your System?

There are two ways to answer this question – and I want to cover both! Firstly, we will discuss how long various delta 10 products last. Then we will look at how long it takes for delta 10 to leave your body once the effects have worn off.

The experience itself

The market demands a mixture of delta 10 products because different intake methods produce differing experiences.

Inhalation: Smoking delta 10 flower, vaping a disposable delta 10 pen, and dabbing a concentrate all come under the inhalation umbrella. Inhaled delta 10 generally stays active for about three hours, but high-strength concentrates can last longer.

Sublingual absorption: This is the technical term for taking a delta 10 tincture oil under your tongue. The come-up happens more slowly than when inhaling delta 10, but that typically translates to slightly longer-lasting effects.

Oral consumption: Slow and steady edibles and capsules have a labored onset of effects – although the delta 10 remains active in your system for considerably longer. 

Expect orally-consumed delta 10 to last for six to eight hours on average. The extended effects of delta 10 edibles largely explain their popularity!

Exiting the body

Delta 10 can remain in your system for anywhere between a couple of days and many weeks. I appreciate this is a less helpful timeframe than you were hoping for, but it’s impossible to speak with precision without knowing your situation.

Cannabinoids tend to stay in your system for longer than many other compound classes. Delta 10 is metabolized into THC-COOH – if the name rings a bell, delta 10 and THC have the same metabolite.  

What Factors Affect How Long Delta 10 Stays in Your System?

Many factors influence how long delta 10 remains detectable in your body. Here are the five main ones that you need to know about.

1) How often you take it

Regular users will have delta 10 in their system for longer than those who only take products occasionally. Consuming delta 10 daily will increase its concentration in your body and slow the rate at which it can be expelled.

2) How much you take

Dosage also impacts how long delta 10 stays in your system. Indeed, an occasional high-dose user may have more delta 10 in their body than a daily low-dose user.

Ingesting high delta 10 doses will increase the amount that your body needs to process, hence why it takes longer to remove it. 

3) Product strength

The strength of your delta-10 product plays an essential role since this influences how much you are taking. Products can have vastly different delta 10 concentrations, as the market caters to everyone from first-timers to hardcore recreational users.

4) Speed of metabolism

Some people process and expel delta 10 from their system more quickly than others – it all comes down to the speed of your metabolism. While there is no definitive way of knowing how fast your body will process delta 10, we can gauge it to some extent.

The younger and healthier you are, the faster your metabolism. Regular exercise and a sensible diet also promote a speedy metabolism. However, genetics also affect metabolism speed, throwing a random and unpredictable element into the mix.

5) Product quality

While often overlooked, the quality of your delta 10 product will inevitably impact how long the substance stays in your system. Premium, third-party tested products have more delta 10 than untested products made with impure delta 10 distillate and fillers.

Or maybe the product itself was legit and up to standard but has since expired or been stored improperly. Either would contribute to substantial delta 10 degradation, reducing the amount that you ever take into your system.

And as covered in the second and third points, the less delta 10 you consume, the faster it gets metabolized and cleared from your body. 

Does Delta 10 Show Up on Drug Tests?

Yes, drug tests can detect delta 10. Like other THC isomers and derivatives, delta 10’s metabolite can trigger a positive test for cannabis use. Delta 10 and THC have the same metabolite – tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (THC-COOH).

Please ignore any online rumors about delta 10 (and other hemp-based cannabinoids) avoiding drug test detection. These theories have probably emerged due to an underhand marketing tactic or poorly-informed anecdotes going viral.

However, having delta 10 in your system does not necessarily mean a failed drug test. We have already discussed the factors affecting how long delta 10 stays in your body, but the type and sensitivity of the drug test also hold sway over the result.

You won’t test positive for having a minuscule amount of delta 10 in your system. Drug tests have a detectability threshold, measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml), but not all tests are set up in the same way.

For urine tests, most employers set the THC-COOH threshold at 50ng/ml, while the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has a more lenient 150ng/ml cut-off.

Top tip: Drinking water will reduce the concentration of THC-COOH in your urine! 

Types of drug tests

Several types of drug tests can detect delta 10 usage – and the detectability window changes depending on the test. Let’s discuss the four main drug tests for delta 10, and touch on the situations where you may encounter them.

Urine

This is probably the drug test you are most familiar with, as the go-to option for employers. While not every company uses urine screening nowadays, it is still a popular and reliable choice – both 5 and 9-panel tests can pick up delta 10 use.

Delta 10 lingers in urine for anywhere between a couple of days and three weeks. The THC-COOH metabolite generally shows up in urine around 30 minutes after consuming delta 10, but it could take up to four hours. 

Saliva (mouth swab)

Saliva testing is becoming more common in the workplace – it’s efficient, less invasive than urine testing, and has a shorter detectability window. 

That may seem unhelpful, but not all employers want to punish job applicants for taking drugs a while ago. This applies more so with low-skilled jobs where – to put it bluntly! – employers cannot afford to be fussy about who works for them.

Delta 10’s THC-COOH metabolite is detectable in oral fluids almost immediately and remains so for between 24 to 48 hours. However, more sophisticated saliva tests could theoretically detect delta-10 usage for up to 72 hours.

Hair

The hair follicle drug test is notorious for its insanely long detection window – they can pick up delta 10 metabolite several months after consumption! Thankfully, hair tests are rare and simply not feasible for most employers.

Hair drug tests are only used when the potential consequences of a worker being intoxicated on the job are severe. For example, several trucking companies screen drivers with hair follicle tests.

Blood

You will almost certainly be in a sticky spot if you encounter one of these. Blood drug tests have a very short detection window but are extremely effective at detecting whether drugs are currently active in your system.

Say you suffer an injury from an accident at work. Your employer could require a drug test before paying out any insurance, to see if you were intoxicated at the time. If you went to work under the influence of delta 10, a blood test would rat you out.

Does Delta 10 Affect Prescription Medication?

We have no specific research on whether the delta 10 cannabinoid interferes with any prescription medication. However, we can assume that it does, given its chemical similarity to THC, which we know interferes with some drugs.

Delta 10 likely inhibits the CYP3A4 enzyme in the cytochrome P450 system. The enzyme metabolizes several classes of prescription drugs, including:

• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotics
• Benzodiazepines
• Calcium channel blockers
• Hypnotics
• Immunosuppressants
• Opioids

Taking delta 10 alongside any of these could affect how long your medication remains active, potentially intensifying your dosage to dangerous levels. With some medications, this could theoretically lead to an overdose situation.

That’s scary stuff and made worse by the fact that we just don’t know how much of an effect delta 10 has. For that reason, you should adopt a cautious approach, and consider not using delta 10 products on days when you are taking prescription meds.

For personalized advice on the risks of mixing delta 10 with various prescription meds, consult with your doctor and physician. Hopefully, they will have some understanding of cannabinoids and a fair and open-minded perspective.

Is Delta 10 Legal in the United States?

Yes, delta 10 is legal in the U.S. – and it’s all thanks to the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act. Better-known as the Farm Bill, the legislation de-scheduled natural, hemp-based cannabinoids, including delta 10.

The bill restricts THC levels to a tiny 0.3% in hemp-based products, but it does not set any cap on THC isomers. Therefore, hemp products can legally contain unlimited quantities of cannabinoids like delta 10 and delta 8!

States have the power to restrict or prohibit delta 10 – this has happened in a few cases, as part of a wider crackdown on THC isomers. Delta 8 is the main target of such laws – due to its popularity and potency – but delta 10 has also been affected.

As of July 2022, delta 10 is illegal in the following 10 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Utah, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, and Rhode Island.

A federal ban on delta 10 (or, more specifically, THC isomers and derivatives) seems unlikely – if it was going to happen, it probably would have been done by now. 

Delta 10 could get caught up in laws targeting delta 8, but I would be surprised to see specific action against delta 10.

Buy Delta 10 Products at CBD Genesis! 

Interested in trying delta 10 for the first time or looking for a trustworthy vendor to fulfill your daily needs? CBD Genesis can help! We have a stellar selection of third-party lab-tested and approved delta 10 products from various top brands.

Get stuck in with a delta 10 vape cartridge or disposable from our CBD Genesis range or expand your horizons with gummies from the renowned Delta Extrax. We also have top-grade delta 10 flower and tincture oils from the respected ELYXR LA.

If you haven’t indulged in the exciting world of emerging hemp-based cannabinoids, delta 10 is the perfect substance to start with. It’s milder than the likes of delta 8, HHC, and THC-O, but it has the properties to give you a pleasurable experience!