What Happens to CBD After it Enters My Body?

CBD is absorbed through the lungs (when smoked or vaped), sublingual capillaries (when taken under the tongue), or through the small intestines (if eaten or taken orally).

This can take anywhere from 5 minutes (smoking or vaping) to 45 minutes (taking CBD orally).

Once in the bloodstream, CBD travels around the body and interacts with the endocannabinoid system to exert its effects. CBD will also activate other receptors in the body, like the vanilloid and adenosine receptors.

Over time, CBD molecules pass through the liver, which metabolizes the compound into inactive and water-soluble forms so the kidneys can eliminate it from the body.

The liver converts CBD into various metabolites, including 7-OH-CBD and 6-OH-CBD.

Over time, more CBD will be converted to inactive metabolites. The entire process can take a couple of days before all the CBD is completely out of the body — however, the effects tend to last about 6-8 hours before concentrations become too low in the blood to provide any noticeable effects.