This is a deceptively simple question with an unfortunately complicated answer. 

First, the deceptively simple part: “How long does cocaine stay in your system?” is actually multiple questions disguised as one: 

• This question could be asking how long it takes your body to metabolize and eliminate cocaine. 
• Or it could be asking how long it takes until the amount of cocaine in your system falls below what experts consider to be a “clinically insignificant amount.”
• It could also be asking how long you will test positive on a drug screen after using cocaine.

Now, for the unfortunately complicated part: Every one of those questions can have multiple correct answers.

Confused? Frustrated? Don’t worry, all will be explained soon.

Cocaine in the Body

Let’s start by addressing metabolism and elimination.

Cocaine has a plasma half-life of about 60 minutes. This means that within about an hour after a person ingests cocaine, their body will have broken down about half of the dose. After another hour, half of the remaining amount will have been broken down. This process will continue until the drug has been fully eliminated.

Most experts estimate that it takes about five half-lives before a drug falls below a clinically significant level. This means that if a person uses cocaine once, and then stops, it could take about five hours before the drug is virtually undetectable.

However, this time frame can be influenced by several factors, such as:

• The person’s age, weight, and metabolism
• The amount of cocaine they used
• How long they have been using cocaine

Also, you may have noticed that we used the term “virtually undetectable” when discussing cocaine’s half-life, not “completely undetectable.” That’s because, even after your body has eliminated all the cocaine that you ingested, you can still test positive on a drug screen.

Testing for Cocaine

Now let’s look at the question, how long does cocaine stay in your system, from a drug screening perspective.

Drug screens don’t only look for the actual presence of a certain drug in your body. They also look for metabolites, which are substances that are created when your body breaks down and eliminates a drug. 

It can help to think of metabolites as fingerprints. In criminal cases, fingerprints can prove that a person was in a certain location, even if they weren’t observed there. Similarly, the presence of cocaine metabolites can prove that a person used cocaine, even though their body has completely eliminated the drug.

The length of time cocaine metabolites can be detected can vary depending on which type of drug screen is used:

• Drug screens that analyze your saliva or blood may detect cocaine metabolites for about 48 hours (two days) after your most recent dose.
• A urine test may detect cocaine metabolites for up to four days after your last dose.
• Hair follicle tests have the longest window by far. Hair follicles can retain evidence of cocaine use for up to 90 days (three months) after the last time you used the drug.