Pentagon warning US military to avoid poppy seeds, citing effects on drug testing

The Department of Defense is warning service members to avoid poppy seeds due to concerns that it could affect drug testing.

In a memo published on Tuesday, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert Cisneros told service members to avoid “all consumption” of poppy seeds, including in food products and baked goods.

“Out of an abundance of caution, I find protecting Service members and the integrity of the drug testing program requires a warning to avoid poppy seeds,” Cisneros wrote.

According to the United States Anti-Doping Agency, poppy seeds can absorb opium extract when being harvested. This can then sometimes cause morphine and codeine — which are pain relief drugs in the opioid family — to be detected in urine up to 48 hours after poppy seeds are ingested, which can then cause false positives in drug testing.

The memo said that the Defense Department used cutoff dates to “distinguish morphine and codeine use from poppy seed ingestion,” but that recent data is showing that poppy seeds may have more codeine contamination than was previously thought.

“Recent data suggests certain poppy seeds varieties may have higher codeine contamination than previously reported,” the memo reads. “Consumption of poppy seed products could cause a codeine positive urinalysis result and undermine the Department’s ability to identify illicit drug use.”

The memo did not say how long service members should avoid the seeds, but explained that the policy could be revised as more information about the topic becomes available.

The Pentagon established its Drug Demand Reduction Program in 1981 “to deter DoD personnel from abusing illicit drugs or misuse prescription drugs,” according to its website.

Service members are required to participate in random urinalysis testing, and each branch has its own substance abuse program, according to the agency’s website.