Poppy seeds cause alarming opioid panic

By Alyse Deatherage Managing Editor

Poppy seeds have long had a myth about them: when a person eats them, they may test positive for opiates on a drug test. While this myth has been brushed off by those who love an everything bagel or poppy seed lemon muffin in the morning, these devils in disguise may cause more problems than consumers think.

Two lawsuits have now been filed in New Jersey by moms whose babies were taken from them after unknowingly being tested for and receiving positive results for an opioid test. The hospitals in question did not alert the mothers of the tests or the positive drug results.

Both mothers, named Kate L. and Kaitlin K., contested that they had eaten poppy seed bagels that morning.

After refusing to release the babies, the hospitals tested both the mothers and the babies involved with various drug tests, which came back negative for opioids. The mothers, fathers, and other family members of the baby also received extensive interviews with state officials and home searches done by

Child Protective Services.

Both mothers are now suing the hospitals in question for testing them without their consent. They both discussed having severe trauma from this and surprising, but it is not the first time an instance like this has occurred.

According to the University of Florida Health, the U.S. Department of Defense “issued a might contain opiates – powerful compounds that depress the central nervous system and can induce drowsiness and sleep,” said Reisfield to UF Health. experience, even fearing their babies would be removed from them again without them ever having used drugs.

UF Health sat down with Gary Reisfield, an addiction and pain medicine health specialist who disclosed why it is that poppy seeds can have the effect they do on drug test results.

The opium poppy is used as a source of opiates used in painkillers such as morphine and codeine, according to Reisfield.

“Poppy seeds themselves don’t contain opiates. But during harvesting, the seeds can become contaminated with opiates contained in the milky latex of the seed pod covering them,” said Reisfield.

Reisfield confirmed that poppy seeds can lead to a positive test result when taken from a urine sample.

Poppy seeds aren’t harmful and make for a delicious treat in many of the breakfast and dessert snacks people love. However, it is important to be aware of their chemical makeup and what that can do to drug tests they may take for work, sports, or even pregnancy.

This may sound outrageous memo

2023, warning service members to avoid eating poppy seeds because doing so may result in a positive urine test for the opiate codeine.”

“Poppy seeds come from a species of poppy plant called Papaver somniferum.

“Somniferum” is Latin for “sleepbringing,” which hints that it

The U.S. Department of Defense and other drug experts recommend avoiding poppy seeds if you work in any field where drug tests are frequently required or if you are a professional athlete.