Marijuana’s Secrets Unlocked By DNA Sequencing

Marijuana has joined the ranks of the human genome* and the creatures of Jurassic Park in having its DNA sequenced. This means that the biological code of marijuana has been completely revealed, which may offer valuable insights for scientists interested in isolating its positive features. Read More

Will A Shotgun of Marijuana Show Up On A Drug Test / Screen?

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about “shotgun” hits of marijuana.  People want to know if they will show up on a drug test.  The short answer is yes.

A potted pot plant.

A marijuana plant.

First, what are shotgun hits of marijuana?  A shotgun is when you inhale marijuana and then exhale it into someone else’s mouth.  If you are the one taking the second inhale, or in other words the person inhaling from someone else’s mouth, you are the one receiving the shotgun.

So you might wonder, “okay, I didn’t directly take a hit.  Maybe it won’t show up on the test.”  Or, “Maybe it’s like second hand smoke.”  But…

Actually taking a shotgun hit is like taking a very concentrated hit – it’s comparable to taking a bong hit as opposed to smoking a joint.  It’s reviahome very potent and contains a lot of THC.  Second hand smoke is just ambient – the THC dissipates into the air rapidly.  That’s why second hand smoke doesn’t appear on a marijuana drug test.

Regardless of whether you are inhaling from a joint, paraphernalia, or someone else’s mouth, if you are intentionally inhaling marijuana smoke and/or getting high, you are probably going to show up on a urine drug screen for marijuana.

For more reading please check out Does Secondhand Marijuana Smoke Show Up On A Drug Test.  Or check out our marijuana drug test kit product page.  Our test is used by companies all over the USA to screen employees for marijuana use and meets suggested initial testing levels.  For those who wish to test themselves or others, it’s a good choice.

More Teens Smoke Pot Than Cigarettes: So Says New Monitoring The Future Study Out Today

In a remarkable study published today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it was found that among 12th graders more report past-month marijuana use than they do cigarette use.  This is the first time this has happened since 1981.

The new statistics are found in this year’s Monitoring the Future survey.  The study comes out every year.  The exact finding was that 21.4% of 12th graders used marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to 19.2% who smoked cigarettes.

Other interesting findings include that general past year drug use among 8th graders rose over the past year by 1.5% to 16%.  Use of ecstasy increased, most drastically among 8th graders, where use almost doubled.  Prescription drug abuse stayed generally the same (although use of Vicodin decreased among 12th graders).  One bright spot is that teen binge drinking appears to be decreasing.  Among high school seniors, 23.2% met the requirements of a binge in the past two weeks (5 or more drinks in a row).  This is two percentage points less than in 2009 and far below the high for binge drinking in 1998, which was 31.5%.

What does this really tell us?  Is decreased alcohol use among teens “worth” increases in marijuana use?  Can we even say that it works like that (probably not!)?  Some experts are contributing the increase in marijuana usage among teens to mixed messages being sent about whether marijuana is generally medicinal or not.  It may also have to do with the fact that marijuana use is decriminalized in parts of the United States.  Perhaps this will make families and employers more inclined to screen with a marijuana drug test kit.  In any case, as usual these statistics will attract attention and cause those on both sides of the pro/anti drug debate to reflect on our culture today – what is the best way to handle teens’ curiosity about drugs and how can we best keep kids safe?

For more please see the LA Times or HealthDay.