Editor's note: This article has been reviewed and updated for accuracy in 2026. Whether you use is for medicinal purposes or recreationally, if you’re an athlete who uses marijuana, there’s no doubt that some concerns cross your mind; namely, the drug tests that many sports leagues require. If you're not a regular smoker detectable THC can be out of your system in as little as 3 days. If you're a chronic smoker it can take up to 30 days. There are a lot of variables like the frequency, potency (flower vs dabs), as well as the type of test used (urine, saliva, hair etc) that dictate what and what won't be found on an athletic drug screening. Best bet is to avoid all THC containing substances for at least 30 days prior to testing to be safe. While you know that it doesn’t negatively impact your performance on the field or court, in the swimming pool, on the track, on the course, or wherever else you play (and in fact, it likely enhances your performance), that doesn’t change the fact that cannabis is a substance that continues to be banned by sports leagues. As such, if you take a test and it determines that you have weed in your system, you run the risk of not only being benched, but there’s also a chance that you could be cut from your team - and the league completely. <img src=https://herbceo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cannabis-use-in-sports.jpg alt=cannabis use in sports class=