Aaarghh! THC advice

Son has come home in a bit of a state after giving in to peer pressure and getting stoned at a mate’s house.

Having passed his driving test 10 weeks ago he’s now horrified by me suggesting that he needs to wait 72 hours to get the level down to be certain of passing a roadside test. I know, it’s a salutary lesson, but getting all high horse about it isn’t going to wash as I might have partaken a bit as a youth and the wife’s history would make Danny blush.

Actual ‘research’ says about 12 hours for a single joint, and given by all accounts he’s had a total whitey after just a few tokes probably not even that, but we’re planning on getting some test kits off Amazon to make sure. Anyone with any experience / what kits work? Been in the same situation – how long did you wait?

Parenting advice not needed, wife has poo-pooed the idea that now is the right time to introduce him to my Doors box set.

Don’t buy test kits. You’re turning it into a weird medicalised trauma session.

Let him sleep it off and he won’t be impaired. The chances of him being stopped by police are small. The chances of him being drug tested are smaller than that. The chances of him being prosecuted are smaller than that. And if that happens….Well, suck it up.

By all means take the car keys off him for a couple of days for being a fanny. But don’t get all bonkers about it or next time he won’t come back to you when he’s in a state and he’ll go somewhere less safe.

Do , however, introduce him to the Doors..

Who’s Danny?

if that happens….Well, suck it up.

This, really.  If he’s old/responsible enough to get behind a wheel and old/responsible enough to get shitfaced then he should be old/responsible enough to deal with any consequences from those decisions.  I’d be impressing that concept onto him.  My folks tried to police my new-found freedom after I’d passed my test, no substances involved, I launched the keys across the room and they didn’t pull that stunt again.

The chances of him being stopped by police are small. The chances of him being drug tested are smaller than that.

Whilst this may be true, if he does get his collar felt and the car stinks of weed, the chances of getting a drugs wipe are very high indeed.  And even if clean the 5-0 are likely to want to put the fear of god into him to ensure that he doesn’t consider driving under the influence in future.

The chances of him being stopped by police are small. The chances of him being drug tested are smaller than thatThe chances of him being prosecuted are smaller than that

If he’s stopped for pretty much any moving traffic violation, he will be likely be breathalysed and/or drug wiped, because they can. If it comes back positive,  there is no “words of advice”, it’s a prosecution and a loss of license.

I don’t know how long the risk of testing positive are, but as a fellow road user and as a parent, I hope he takes the couple of days car-less because drug driving ruins a lot of lives, and testing positive and losing his license would be a big hurdle for a young person.

Can’t believe people are suggesting ‘if that happens, suck it up’  Min 1 year ban, 11 years with it on your licence, impossible to get insurance. Suck that up seriously? As MCTD says, any infraction is quite likely to get you tested now as routine.

I specifically said no parenting advice thanks, so I’ll ignore any of that, I’m perfectly capable of dealing with deciding how to sort my own kids out. I asked for advice on how long it stays in the system and/or if anyone has any advice on what test kits are reliable. FWIW we already discussed when he asked how long until he can drive again and this is the agreed compromise….. 72hrs or clean (reliable) test.

Let him sleep it off and he won’t be impaired

Maybe not – but could still fail a roadside test based on some of what I have read.

Risk of testing positive is at least 24 hours tho 72 is probably being over cautious.  Cannabis can be detected for weeks and at levels well below any effect.  a positive drugs wipe is not an automatic fail – they follow it up with blood tests to check levels and there is a tolerance level like with alcohol.

Don’t bother with testing – it will show you nothing.  Be proud that you son feels able to tell you

Who’s Danny?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094336/characters/nm0114460

Don’t bother with testing – it will show you nothing.  Be proud that you son feels able to tell you

Yeah that ^ especially, praise your son for telling you and don’t be hard on him.

fwiw I’d more than likely fail the test every time if it was carried out on myself over the previous 30 years.

Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t being at all hard. We’ve laughed (him quite a lot, TBF), and as I said neither me nor his mum have an unblemished record. We’re now trying to make sure a ‘bad’ choice doesn’t turn into a disastrous one with long lasting consequences.

Don’t buy test kits.

unless you are going to buy expensive kits with the same sampling mechanism as the cops you may be conning yourself to believe he’s “ok” when he’s not (or less seriously vice versa).

The chances of him being stopped by police are small.

depends on his driving habits; teenagers do stupid shit – teenagers who know they should not draw attention to themselves seem to be particularly bad at not coming to the attention of the police.

The chances of him being drug tested are smaller than that.

but if he’s stopped by traffic or involved in an accident or the car/he smells of cannabis quite likely

The chances of him being prosecuted are smaller than that.

if his blood is over the proscribed limit the will prosecute, and it’s rare for them to screw those up.

By all means take the car keys off him for a couple of days for being a fanny. But don’t get all bonkers about it or next time he won’t come back to you when he’s in a state and he’ll go somewhere less safe.

i think that is a good point.   He probably wants to get a message to leave it 24 hrs to be sure – if you go OTT then his mates will point him to some website that says it’s fine if you have chewing gum and link a 2p piece or something!

Your metabolism and consumption will affect how long THC lingers in your blood. Depending on the test used THC can show up weeks or months after use.

Piss test is up to a week.

Blood test, depending on consumption, up to two weeks.

Hair test…. Well, how long is your hair.

Ask me how I found out…. 😵‍💫

We’ve already looked at some websites that give a variety of answers, from a few hours through to a couple of days [edit – roadside saliva swab, as Alpin says blood, urine and hair is different again but also quantifiable in blood/urine].

I think he trusts me sufficiently above the chewing gum and put a 2p in your shoe* advice. And hence why he too is perfectly prepared to test to provide some reassurance (but are tests reliable, etc.)

* that’s contraception isn’t it? Makes you limp…..

A mate used to use the piss tests that the old bill in Germany use to check whether he was safe to drive.

Think with the saliva tests you’re safe after 2-3 days.

Piss test is a bit longer depending on how much you use.

Not sure what the old bill in the UK use on the road side.

saliva test, but can also arrest based on ‘roadside impairment’ testing if they want. Fail that and you would be arrested and taken to the station where you have to do a blood evidential test, and then like alcohol there’s a limit (not zero, allows for passive use) or failure to provide = assumed guilty.

We observed some poor driving from a driver of a 32 ton HGV on the #A3. It became apparent what was causing the poor standards! Driver arrested and the traffic commissioner has been made aware. #Fatal5 pic.twitter.com/kvFQgU2sdE

— Roads Policing – Surrey Police – UK (@SurreyRoadCops) April 18, 2024

All other things aside,

He could just not drive for a couple of days and chalk it up to experience?  He’s managed 17 years at least doing just that.

All other things aside – on what basis a do you say a couple of days? Should it be three? Are tests any good to check this…..That’s the question in the OP!

Exactly because of being dependant on lifts for 18 years, that’s why losing his freedom for a few days has come as a shock for him – besides the impact on having to now organise lifts to college and rehearsals from me and Mum. Freedom removed is not the same as freedom you never had, IYSWIM. And we definitely don’t want it withdrawn legally and for a long time.

We’re now trying to make sure a ‘bad’ choice doesn’t turn into a disastrous one with long lasting consequences.

Your concern about him being prosecuted for being unfit to drive days after smoking a “bifter” (as the cool kids call it) is completely disproportionate to the actual risk and impact. If you want to hear about genuine disastrous choices with long lasting consequences, I have a couple of stories…

Is it possible this is displaced emotion from something else? Do you feel a bit unsettled by him coming home in a bit of a state for reasons other than road safety? Is it worrying you that he can make mistakes and you can no longer protect him? Does the drug use remind you of something in your/your wife’s past?

It is a different world from a generation ago: cannabis (or “devil’s lettuce”) can be much stronger. Cannabis-induced psychosis and mental disorders are more common, and not just Reefer Madness myths. It’s terrifying that 18 year olds are sent out into the world when they’re basically children. And yet here we all are.

Your concern about him being prosecuted for being unfit to drive days after smoking a “bifter” (as the cool kids call it) is completely disproportionate to the actual risk and impact.

YMMV but a year’s ban, 11 years on your record, and inability to get insurance at anything like affordable is pretty high impact to me. Risk – agree, is low but the risk-penalty equation is still too high tariff for the risk to be worth taking.

Is it possible this is displaced emotion from something else? Do you feel a bit unsettled by him coming home in a bit of a state for reasons other than road safety? Is it worrying you that he can make mistakes and you can no longer protect him? Does the drug use remind you of something in your/your wife’s past?

I don’t think it is but it’s an interesting thought. As I said, we’ve actually laughed about the incident itself, his total whitey, puking his ring shortly after, having to phone his mum to get him because he can’t walk half a mile home where he’s so mashed up. It’s a totally understandable ‘mistake’ and one that we fully expected would happen, we’ve also had the party pick up and drunk head in a bucket drive home. I don’t think he’s enjoyed the experience and this might be it, or not. At least ‘next time’ he’ll know it’s 3 days of being a bus **** again.

It’s terrifying that 18 year olds are sent out into the world when they’re basically children. And yet here we all are.

He displays considerable maturity at times, and then at others it’s just ‘cah’. Much like me (at 25)

All other things aside – on what basis a do you say a couple of days? Should it be three? Are tests any good to check this…..That’s the question in the OP!

by the time your Amazon order arrives it will be negative (unless he’s a habitual or heavy user).

Make him listen to The Doors?

You cruel heartless so-and-so.

That sort of punishment should be reserved for Rolf Harris-a-likes and sweatless Princes.