It all depends on the products, quality and components. Using a hemp product containing THC or THCA could result in a false positive urine drug test. Hemp products are supposed to contain no more than 0.3% THC, but there are mislabeled products on the market, so consumers should be careful. In addition, not all extraction processes are the same and some cause contamination.
The Navy recently provided a more detailed explanation of why it decided earlier this year to expand the ban on CBD and hemp products to include topical products such as shampoos and lotions. In a post published last week, the military branch said it enacted the change in July to “ensure the integrity of the Navy's drug policy” by prohibiting the use of any hemp product or hemp-derived product. Violations may occur without regard to the intended physical or mental consequences of the use. The Department of Defense is not in a position to test individual hemp products to determine the accuracy of the labels, the Navy said.
The notice stipulates that service members can still use cannabis-derived prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, such as the anti-epileptic drug Epidiolex. Nor does it apply to the use of “durable” hemp products, such as ropes or clothing. However, military personnel who test positive for THC after consuming unauthorized cannabis products are subject to punishment, including a “other than honorable” discharge. The Department of Defense reaffirmed in more general terms that CBD is prohibited for the military, regardless of the federal legalization of hemp and its derivatives, in previous notices published earlier this year.
Both the Department of Defense and the Air Force have previously intervened on the subject and have stipulated that members are prohibited from consuming hemp-derived CBD. The Coast Guard said sailors cannot consume marijuana or visit legal state dispensaries. And NASA, which is not part of the military, warned that CBD products could contain unauthorized THC concentrations that could cost employees their jobs if they failed a drug test. Another factor that could have influenced these policy updates is that the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Administration released last year a guide for federal agency drug program coordinators describing concerns about the presence of THC in CBD products and causing drug tests to fail.
The quickest and safest way to pass a drug test is to refrain from using any substance or supplement that gives a positive result before taking the test. Using a hemp product containing THC or THCA could result in a false positive urine drug test. But then again, that patch would have to have much higher THC.
