Opiates in Our Food Supply? - Addressing Preventable Harm from Contaminated Poppy Seeds

The seeds themselves naturally contain negligible amounts of opiate alkaloids, but other parts of the poppy plant produce substantial amounts of opiates including morphine, codeine, and thebaine.1 The seeds can become contaminated with opiates from the plant’s sap and dust during harvest. [...] Exposure to contaminated poppy seeds in food can result in unintentional intoxication3 and false positive drug tests.4 People may also use the opiates in contaminated poppy seeds for the purpose of intoxication, or to provide claimed health benefits including the treatment of pain, anxiety, and opioid withdrawal.5 When large amounts of poppy seeds are mixed with water and consumed as a tea, opiate. [...] S.—most involving consumption of poppy seed tea—have been reported in the medical literature and government publications, and most have occurred since 2016.8 These are likely underestimates, as additional deaths involving poppy have been reported in the popular media, and adverse event data is typically incomplete.9 Poppy seeds with unsafe levels of opiates continue to be sold. [...] A 2018 study analyzed the opiate content of 22 poppy products purchased online and found up to 2,788 mg morphine per kg seeds after extraction, with a median of 97.3 mg/kg morphine.10 For reference, a dose of 20 to 50 morphine mg equivalents per day increases the risk of overdose and death.11 In some cases, the failure to decontaminate appears to be intentional. [...] 12 Commission Recommendation of 10 September 2014 on good practices to prevent and to reduce the presence of opium alkaloids in poppy seeds and poppy seed products.