Last updated : January 20, 2025
Manufacturers use the opiate extract from poppies to produce drugs, such as morphine, codeine, and heroin. But have you ever had someone tell you not to eat any foods containing poppy seeds before a drug test because you could test positive for morphine? The warning has been going around for decades. Is it true?
Several years ago, reputable medical sites, such as Medical News Today and Healthline, confirmed that, yes, eating poppy seeds can cause you to fail a drug test. Of course, that’s partly because of continuing advances in drug testing technology and the ever-increasing sophistication of laboratory equipment.
However, poppy seeds don’t contain any opium so how is it even possible?
If poppy seeds aren’t the source
If the seeds, themselves, don’t contain narcotics, how can ingesting them cause someone to pop positive on a drug test? The answer is that the seeds can absorb or become coated by opium extract while still in the seedpod.
Even though poppy seeds undergo a cleansing process before being sold for baking and cooking, they can still contain trace amounts of opiate residue. As far as we know, there are no reports of someone who has actually gotten high after eating poppy seeds. However, if the seeds aren’t properly cleaned, experts say that it’s possible that a person could eat enough to produce a false positive on a drug test.
The cleansing process used in the United States removes up to 90% of the opium residue. It’s doubtful that poppy seeds with a 90% reduction of residue would trigger the false positive. But that isn’t the case in other countries though. We’ll note here that some overseas companies knowingly sell seeds drenched in opiate residue for them to be scooped up by drug cartels.
That said, the Internet allows manufacturers to shop globally for the best price. The companies selling resin-coated seeds are probably not too choosy about who is actually purchasing their merchandise. This makes deciding to eat something coated with poppy seeds before a drug test risky when you don’t know the country of origin. Moreover, if you ask where they came from, you will likely get an “I don’t know” type shrug from the person behind the counter.
How many is too many?
The amount of time that elapses between eating poppy seeds and them showing up as morphine on a urine drug test is about two hours. After that, the person can test positive for nearly three days after eating the poppy seeds. The amount of detection time is completely related to how many seeds you ate.
Codeine and morphine can remain detectable in a person’s urine for up to 48 hours after eating poppy seeds—and longer if you’re a fanatic.
Eating poppy seeds won’t cause a false positive on a hair follicle test. That’s because there isn’t enough opioid in poppy seeds to remain in the bloodstream long enough—or in high enough concentrations—to get trapped inside the hair follicles in measurable quantities.
Hair follicle drug tests are the most expensive employee drug testing method on the market. Still, they’re becoming more popular because they offer employers a 90-day detection period. These tests are also capable of registering all drugs used within that time frame. Therefore, employers who want to discover whether or not someone is a habitual user, are taking a second look at the hair test.
Good luck counting them
It’s crazy to imagine that eating something as tiny as a poppy seed causes a false positive on a drug test. How many would it take to cause that to happen? Even if we knew exactly, it would be hard to get an accurate count, wouldn’t it? Some studies completed all over the world show that the number of seeds contained in a bagel or muffin is enough to do the trick.
A good rule of thumb for “guesstimating” is not to consume more than three teaspoons.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse raised the testing levels for morphine in December 1998 to lessen the chance of a false-positive result. The change was implemented specifically to put the “poppy seed defense” to rest but it doesn’t completely eliminate the risk.
Remember? It depends on where the seeds came from. Other countries don’t set the same standards for cleaning as the United States. The concentration of opiate residue on the poppy seeds could be much higher.
Everyone’s seen mouthwatering loaves of bread and pastries that are traditionally covered with poppy seeds on display in the bakery shops. They aren’t the only products on the market though.
Others include:
- salad dressing
- poppy seed filling is used for making desserts
- babka, a common Jewish dessert
- granola
Non-food products include:
- Unwashed poppy seeds
- Poppyseed teas
- Some natural sleep aids contain poppy seeds
- Some natural pain relievers
These products are even less regulated and have lower standards than seeds intended for baking and cooking. Some foreign companies allow them to go unwashed intentionally so the opiate contaminating the seeds remains.
This can make it possible to overdose on them. In 2017 two men, aged 21 and 24 years old, died after brewing and drinking poppy seed tea from seeds they had purchased online.
We are what we eat
Remember the three-teaspoon rule of thumb—especially if you’re brave enough to risk eating poppy seeds right before your drug test! It would probably be best to avoid eating foods containing poppy seeds for a few days prior just in case. Once you’ve reached the limit, it’s going to stick with you for several days.
Take charge of that immediate gratification thought. It’s not worth risking your job or insurance coverage for a moment of enjoyment. Force yourself to choose another delicacy this time around—you might even discover a new favorite.
