Poppy seeds are the edible nutritious seeds of the
opium poppy (
Papaver somniferum). The opium poppy is, of course, the source of
opium as well as
heroin,
morphine, and
codeine. Although the seeds themselves do not contain opiates, they are frequently contaminated with morphine residue during harvesting. Processing removes much of this residue, but it's not uncommon for trace amounts to remain.
Thus, depending on how many poppy seeds were eaten, their country of origin, and the test used, consumption of poppy seeds can indeed cause a urine drug test to register positive for opiates. There are numerous anecdotes of a single poppy-seed-encrusted
bagel being enough to cause someone to fail a drug test, and convicts on
parole are often forbidden from eating poppy seeds altogether.
Poppy Seed Availability
In the United States, poppy plants are considered a Schedule II controlled substance with the exception of the seeds, which are legal to purchase and have been popular for many decades in baking. Poppy seeds are also available for legal purchase in Australia, Canada, and many other countries. In New Zealand, large bags of poppy seeds can be obtained from the supermarket and are relatively inexpensive [
2]. Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, major online stores serving customers within and outside of the US, offer poppy seeds for sale. A popular large health and wellness site (Mercola.com) recommends poppy seed tea for pain control and recipes appear there and on ChewTheWorld.com (neither of these sites sell poppy seeds). The website FoodtoLive.com sells different varieties of poppy seeds (identified by origin: English, Australian, Spanish) for $9.99 to $17.98 a pound. The website PoppySeedTeaRecipe.com advertises poppy seeds from California as a "homemade high" and offers a pound of unwashed poppy seeds for $25.99. The website thenoddingturtle.biz sells European and Tasmanian "unwashed" poppy seeds with prices available upon e-mail request, as discounts may apply if a buyer opts for 10 lb or more. Poppy seeds are also sold on this site as an exfoliant. SincerelyNuts.com sells a variety of foodstuffs, including poppy seeds for $11.99 lb (English), $7.99 a pound (Dutch), or $4.99 a pound (Spanish). This site does not discuss poppy seed tea. OpiumPoppySeeds.com sells opium seeds to grow poppies.