Question: Can Poppy Seeds Cause a False Postive Result on Drug Tests?
It sounds like an urban myth, and was the topic of a Seinfeld episode, when Elaine was fired from her job after failing a drug test for opiates because she ate a poppy seed muffin. But is it true that eating poppy seeds can cause you to fail drug tests for opiates?
Answer: Poppy seeds come from the opium poppy, and contain opiates, therefore eating anything containing poppy seeds before a drug test can cause a drug test result which is positive for opiates. The drug test result is accurate, in that it shows opiates have been consumed, but the amount is negligible and the assumption that the presence of opiates arise from drug use is false. This is an illustration of how it is imperative that drug test results are correctly interpreted rather than taken out of context.
