Does Absinthe Show Up On A Drug Test?

Marie asked

Will absinthe show up on a drug test? Heard the hallucinogenic effects are a myth, but I’m afraid it might show up or cause a false positive of something?

Answer

The only thing that would show up on a drug test from absinthe is ethanol (i.e. alcohol).

'Absinthe' isn't a recognized drug, but a name used for a particular type of drink with extremely high alcohol content and is traditionally flavored with various herbs, notably wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and anise.

What Is In Absinthe?

Historically, there are reports of absinthe containing a compound known as thujone, a naturally occurring substance in wormwood (2). It was thought to have been mainly responsibility for the mild hallucinogenic properties of absinthe.

While thujone may have been present at one point in absinthe drinks, it no longer is. It is illegal under United States federal law for food or beverage products to contain thujone (total content must be under 10 parts per million). Wormwood extracts must, therefore, be processed (or cultivated) in a way that makes them thujone-free.

Aside from the thujone content of wormwood, it is considered a safe herbal product for consumption. In fact, the FDA lists wormwood (that is thujone-free) on its GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) list.

To summarize, products that classify or market themselves as absinthe in the United States are simply herbal flavored/infused liquors. They generally contain:

• High ethanol (alcohol) content (>50%)
• Anise flavoring
• Wormwood (thujone-free)
• Fennel
• Various other herbs

Absinthe And Drug Testing

There are no drug tests available for any of the ingredients in absinthe besides ethanol (i.e. alcohol). Therefore, while you won't test positive for 'absinthe', you will test positive for ethanol if your blood, urine or saliva/breath is being evaluated while it is still in the process of being metabolized.

The ethanol contained in absinthe will be metabolized at the same rate as alcohol from other sources (e.g. beer, wine), which is 10-20 mL/hour. This roughly equates to one 'drink' per hour. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines 'One drink' as:

• 12 ounces of regular beer (5% alcohol)
• 5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol)
• 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (40% alcohol)

It is important to note that there are many factors that affect how fast your body will metabolize alcohol. These factors include:

• Age
• Weight
• Gender
• Food
• Genetic variation

In addition, as 'absinthe' typically refers to a drink that has a high alcohol content, it may take longer than the standard 'one hour' to metabolize one drink (1.5 ounces of liquor).

Final Words

There are no known studies or reports of products classified or marketed as 'absinthe' causing a 'false-positive' on drug tests. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), the natural product that historically contained thujone (but is removed for food/beverage consumption) has no reports of causing false-positives either.

Your risk of failing a drug test for anything other than ethanol is extremely unlikely after consuming absinthe.