Poppy seeds contain trace amounts of opium alkaloids that can cause a false positive test result. Image: Universe42/Shutterstock.com
The Pentagon’s personnel chief is advising all hands to stay away from food products that contain poppy seeds. Innocent ingestion could produce a positive drug test, Gilbert R. Cisneros, the undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, said in a Feb. 17 memo to the service secretaries.
“Concerns with poppy seeds and drug testing are not new. Seeds [in food products] may be contaminated during harvest with morphine and codeine,” Cisneros wrote. ‘Recent data suggests that certain poppy seed varieties may have higher codeine contamination than previously reported. Contamination of poppy seed products could cause a codeine-positive urinalysis result and undermine the department’s ability to identify illicit drug use.
Cisneros wrote that an “abundance of caution” has led him to order the service secretaries to tell their troops not to eat anything with poppy seeds. Innocent service members who produce positive drug tests because of poppy seed consumption should contact their local legal office for help, he added, stating that further guidance would be issued when it becomes available.
Poppy seeds contain trace amounts of opium alkaloids that can cause a false positive test result. The amount of poppy required to produce such a result varies from person to person, as poppy metabolizes differently depending on factors such as age and overall health – but according to one study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, it took more than five pounds of poppy seed ingestion (roughly equivalent to an entire loaf of poppy seed-filled bread) for an individual to cause a false positive result on an opiate screening test. Just get the banana bread.
Trump to move Space Command headquarters out of Colorado
National Guard Order Calls for Hiring More Fed LEOs, Military Unit Under Interior, DHS, Justice
Audit: Rise in ‘Severe Staffing Shortages’ at VA Medical Facilities
Marines Seek New Boots on the Ground
Can My Military Discharge be Upgraded? Yes
The Rules for Getting Both Military Retired Pay and a Federal Annuity
Credit for Military Service for Federal Retirement Annuities