It is very hard to determine the exact length of time that cocaine remains present in an individual's system. The general estimation is that cocaine is present in ones system for 72 hours after the most recent intake. But most drug tests do not search for traces of cocaine; rather they search for what is known as a cocaine metabolite. The length that a cocaine metabolite can be found in drug tests varies greatly form case to case. Many factors contribute to the length that they will show. Factors include, but are not limited too:
Age of the user
Sex of the user
Weight of the user
Speed of the users metabolism
Amount of cocaine ingested during last use
Frequency of cocaine use
The individual's physical health
Medications that the individual takes
The individual's tolerance to the drug
The method in which the cocaine is ingested (snorted, smoked, injected)
The purity of the cocaine that is used
They method of drug testing used
With all of the factors playing into the equation, it is practically impossible to give an accurate estimation of how long cocaine will show in a drug test. If someone snorts one or two lines in a single night, with no prior intake, it is generally estimated that the drug will no longer show in a urine test after 72 hours. Yet it is believed that even a single bump of cocaine will show in a hair follicle test for three months. Then there are the cases where individuals have been using cocaine habitually for years, and in those cases cocaine can be found in a standard urine test up to three months after the most recent intake.
