Most drugs show up in a urine test for about two to four days after they were last used. Regular cannabis use and some long-acting sleeping pills can show up for weeks, and a hair test can pick up drug use from roughly the past three months.
The figures below are typical ranges. How long a drug stays detectable depends on the drug, how much and how often it was used, the kind of test and the person's own body. This guide gives the usual figures, explains how testing works, and covers what to do if the drug use worries you more than the test does.
How long each drug shows up in urine
Urine is the sample used most often for drug testing. These are the usual windows after the last use, taken from published clinical guides.
| Drug | Usually found in urine for |
|---|---|
| Syabu or ice (methamphetamine) | About 2 to 5 days |
| Ganja (cannabis), used once | About 3 days |
| Ganja, used about four times a week | About 5 to 7 days |
| Ganja, used every day | About 10 to 14 days |
| Ganja, heavy use over a long time | 30 days or more |
| Heroin | About 2 to 3 days |
| Codeine (found in some cough syrups) | About 2 to 4 days |
| Methadone | About 3 to 5 days |
| Cocaine | About 1 to 3 days, up to 7 days after heavy use |
| Sleeping pills (benzodiazepines) | About 2 days for short-acting types, 5 days for medium-acting types, 10 to 30 days for long-acting types |
| Alcohol | About 7 to 12 hours for alcohol itself, and up to about 80 hours for its breakdown products EtG and EtS |
The standard opiate screen looks for morphine, so methadone needs a test of its own. Published sources also differ by a day or two, so treat each figure as approximate.
Urine, blood, saliva and hair: how far back each test looks
- Urine: most drugs appear about two hours after use and stay for hours to a few days. Heavy, regular use can stretch this to several weeks.
- Blood: a short window, from a few hours up to a day or two.
- Saliva (a mouth swab): usually the previous 24 to 48 hours.
- Hair: scalp hair shows roughly the past three months, and body hair, which grows more slowly, can go back up to 12 months. Hair misses the most recent use, because traces take about 7 to 10 days to appear in the hair shaft.
- Breath: used for alcohol, and covers only the last few hours.
Why it is different for different people
The same drug can clear in two days for one person and take much longer for another. How often someone uses matters most: a single use and daily use for a year give very different results, as the ganja rows above show. Larger amounts also take longer to clear.
The body plays a part too. Metabolism, weight, general health and how much fluid someone drinks all change the window. Some drugs are stored in the body's tissues and released slowly, so body build can lengthen it, and kidney or liver problems can slow the clearance of a drug.
The test matters as well. Quick screening tests and home kits are less sensitive than laboratory tests, so two tests on the same day can disagree.
Can you flush drugs out of your system faster?
No. There is no safe shortcut, and time is the only thing that clears a drug from the body. Laboratories check urine samples for signs that they have been watered down, tampered with or swapped. A dilute sample is reported as dilute, and the drug may still be found in it.
If a test coming up is frightening you, that can be a sign the drug use has become harder to control than you would like. That is worth taking seriously, and some of the help available involves no legal action. The last sections of this guide cover it.
After the drug has cleared
A drug can leave the urine within days, but regular use changes the brain, and those changes may last a long time after someone stops. That is part of why recovery takes far longer than the few days a drug needs to clear. Our guide to drug withdrawal symptoms explains what to expect when someone stops and when to get medical help.
If you drink every day or take sleeping pills regularly, do not stop suddenly on your own. Stopping alcohol suddenly can be very dangerous for someone who is dependent, and stopping benzodiazepines suddenly can cause seizures. See a doctor first so withdrawal can be managed safely.
Screening tests, confirmation and false positives
Most drug testing starts with a quick screening test. If it comes back positive, a laboratory usually confirms the result with a different, more accurate method, such as gas chromatography with mass spectrometry.
Screening tests can give false positives. Some cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine can be read as amphetamines, and poppy seeds can show up as opiates. Tell the person running the test about every medicine and supplement you take, including prescribed methadone, painkillers or sleeping pills.
A negative result does not prove someone is not using. The drug may have cleared already, the test may not look for it, or the sample may not have been collected properly.
In Malaysia, a positive urine test after a police check is a legal matter as well as a health one. Our guide to what happens after a positive drug test in Malaysia walks through the steps.
If you are worried about a test
If you, or someone in your family, are counting the days until a drug clears, the drug use itself probably needs attention. These are good places to start.
- Go to AADK voluntarily. The National Anti-Drugs Agency now accepts people who come to it directly for advice and treatment, with no medical officer's certificate and no court process. Treatment packages run from three months to two years, depending on need, and the voluntary service is described as free, confidential and without legal action. Call 1-800-22-AADK (2235) or WhatsApp 019-626 2233. Our guide to voluntary drug rehab in Malaysia explains how it works.
- See a doctor, especially if you drink every day or take sleeping pills, so any withdrawal is handled safely.
- Talk to someone. For emotional support, the Ministry of Health's HEAL line is 15555. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999.
- Think about residential care. A residential drug rehabilitation centre gives time away from everyday triggers while treatment gets started.
Common questions
How long does syabu stay in urine?
Usually about 2 to 5 days after the last use. Heavy, regular use can make the window longer.
How long does ganja stay in your body?
In urine, about 3 days after a single use, about a week with use a few times a week, 10 to 14 days with daily use, and a month or more after heavy use over a long time. A hair test can show cannabis use over roughly the past three months.
How long do drugs stay in your blood?
Not long. A blood test usually picks up use from the last few hours up to a day or two.
Can a drug test show use from months ago?
A hair test can. Scalp hair covers roughly three months and body hair up to a year. Urine, blood and saliva tests usually look back only a few days, except for heavy cannabis use and long-acting sleeping pills, which can show in urine for weeks.
How long does alcohol stay in your system?
Alcohol itself shows up in breath and blood for a matter of hours, and in urine for about 7 to 12 hours. Some tests look for EtG, a breakdown product of alcohol, which can be found for up to about 80 hours.
My family member's test was negative. Does that mean they have stopped?
Not necessarily. A negative result does not rule out drug use, because the drug may have cleared or the test may not have looked for it. Keep an eye on how they are, and keep talking.
How Salus can help
Salus is a private, voluntary residential recovery retreat in Cyberjaya for adults aged 18 and over. The stay is 90 days, with treatment provided alongside medical care, and it costs from RM7,000 per month. Medication, deposits, medically supervised detox and any transfer to a psychiatric facility are charged separately. Families are welcome to get in touch first, before the person has decided anything.
If drug use has started to run your life, or the life of someone you love, contact Salus for a calm, no-pressure conversation about what would help.
This article is general information, not medical advice.
