How to Pass a Mouth Swab Drug Test

Mouth swab tests use saliva to test for the presence of drugs in the mouth. Your saliva is collected using a swab and sent to a lab for a quick test.

Drug testing is becoming more common these days, mainly because of the ease of conducting the test. But most importantly, these tests are pivotal in decision-making, especially when authorities need to test a person's sobriety. Employers and rehabilitation centers use saliva tests to test for job worthiness and sobriety in persons struggling with drug addiction.

Your boss could surprise you occasionally with a quick drug test, or you could get pulled over by an officer, and the next thing that happens is you get tested.

Here's What You Need to Know About Mouth Swab Tests

Previously, saliva drug tests were carried out using urine samples, blood samples, and sometimes, hair samples. These tests seem to take too long, as a new, faster, accurate, and more straightforward method emerged. This new method is called mouth swab drug test or saliva drug test.

Here, the lab attendant or collector uses a cotton swab to swab the inside of the donor's mouth. The swab is then tested for traces of substances ranging from food and genetic material to foreign substances, such as drugs and alcohol.

Mouth swab tests are very useful in detecting recent drug use. Since we are concerned about weed here, you should also know that marijuana typically lasts 24-48 hours in your mouth. Therefore, a saliva test will detect it quite easily.

This is a smarter choice for those interested in fishing out smokers and drug addicts because urine tests, for instance, can only test for up to a week before the test date.

Given the increasing number of cannabis users and speedy legalization of cannabis across several U.S states, you should also know that these tests have become more critical than ever: to ensure safety on the roads and check illegal consumption. Remember that not all states allow the use of cannabis.

What Do Mouth Swab Tests Look for?

While there are tricks for beating a saliva drug test, understanding what the test is looking for gives you a better chance of beating them. For one, don't imagine that it is your regular piss-in-cup kind of test.

While urine test, also known as urinalysis, screens for THC-COOH (the metabolite produced in the body as it metabolizes delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the substance responsible for the ‘high effect' of weed), THC saliva drug tests, on the other hand, screen for the activated THC compound in your mouth. So swab tests will not detect marijuana metabolites that have been lingering in your system for long, but they can detect THC compounds from current consumption.

How Can I Pass an Oral Swab Test in 24 Hours?

So you've only got a day's notice before you get swabbed—no need to panic. The truth is even without doing anything; you still have a fair chance of beating the test because THC only lingers in your saliva for 24-48 hours, tops. But a fair chance may not just cut it. So, here's what you can do to come out flying colors.

You need to start drinking lots of water and swish water vigorously inside your mouth. Rinse as often as possible. You may use mouthwash if you find it comfortable. However, be careful not to use a mouthwash with alcohol content, which may jeopardize your position if the test is also looking for alcohol.

Adhering to proper oral hygiene, that is, brushing twice a day, can also help you keep your saliva clean. Additionally, you can get anti-cavity chewing gums or snack on foods with high fat (such as pizza, fries, burgers, etc.) content since active THC binds well to them.

You can also try weed detox kits for cleaning the body in addition to drinking a lot of water.

When Are You Most at Risk of Failing a Mouth Swab Drug Test?

Frankly, understanding the duration of time you are safe from getting caught will help you prepare for the test. Essentially, you risk failing the test for as long as the concentration of THC in your mouth is above the confirmation cutoff. The confirmation cutoff is the lower threshold of cannabis concentration that the test can detect.

Luckily, the threshold is not dependent on marijuana or drug. It can be a good thing that the test manufacturers calibrate the threshold if you're lucky enough to escape detection. In addition to that, the tests are set to reflect the legal limit for cannabis consumption of the state where the test is performed. While labs are free to set these thresholds, they mostly adhere to the proposed guidelines for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Several states demand a day's notice be given to the donors before the swab test is done for employers who wish to conduct saliva tests for their employees. You may not be given a notice, but if you suspect something in the offing, you better off just staying sober for 24 or 48 hours before the test. Practically, abstinence is the best trick for beating a mouth swab drug test.

Karen Getchell

Karen gained expertise in developing training programs and technical documentation as a Senior Editor at Cisco Systems. She began her journey in cannabis as a patient, searching for a way to heal herself. When she perfected a method for making cannabis oil, other patients began to seek her out. An early adopter of CBD medicine, she started her CBD-infused-products business in 2014. Over the last two decades, Karen has taught hundreds of patients and caregivers how to select strains, infuse oils, and extract cannabinoids.

When she isn’t teaching cannabis cooking classes, Karen works as a cannabis business consultant, writes for online cannabis publications like Cannabis Training University, Leafly, and Weedmaps, and runs a CBD-infused-product business.