Can You Fail A Drug Test After Eating A Poppy Seed Bagel?

Have you heard the rumors about pastries causing a false positive result on urine drug tests for opiates? Well, if you haven't, it's rumored that eating poppy seed bagels, and other pastries containing poppy seeds cause positive drug test results.

In this article, we'll discover and discuss the truth behind such rumors, and whether or not they're real and backed up by facts.

What’s so special about poppy seeds?  

Well, poppy seeds come from seedpods of opium poppy plants and may absorb some opium extract during the harvesting process. It's the same extract that's used to make opioid drugs like morphine, and its well-known derivative, heroin.  

Once coated or saturated with opium extract, these poppy seeds may find their way into your food. Poppy seeds are commonly used in various baked goods, such as bagels, cakes, muffins, and even doughnuts. 

Before they're used as food, poppy seed go through a thorough cleaning process, removing up to 90% of opium residue. However, the remaining 10 percent isn't enough to produce any opioid effect, but it might be enough to trigger a false positive during a drug test.

Poppy seeds and drug tests 

According to various studies conducted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and National Institute on Drug Abuse, poppy seeds can make you test positive on drug tests. Depending on the quantity of poppy seeds you consume, you might test positive for opium from two to sixty hours after consumption.

Testing positive after eating a poppy seed bagel depends on two things: the concentration of opiate in the seeds, and the lab's cut-off values. Before 1998 the cut-off values for opiate drugs were 300 ng/ml in urine testing. However, eating a single poppy seed bagel produces approx. levels of 250ng/ml only three hours after consumption. 

The low cut-off value made it difficult for laboratories to differentiate between poppy seed eaters and real opiate users. Especially when you take into consideration that three teaspoons of poppy seeds may produce levels of up to 1200ng/ml six hours later. 

This puts innocent people into less than desirable situations; some even lost their jobs due to false positives on their urine tests. And it got some opiate users off the hook, as they drew a poppy seed bagel card.

Further studies were conducted on the subject of "poppy seed defense." During those studies, individuals that initially tested negative for opiates also tested positive few hours later after consuming baked goods that contained poppy seeds. Some even remained positive for up to 16 hours.

Things went even further when the Department of Health and Human Services conducted a study examining over 1.4 million urine specimens from several certified labs. They concluded that 87% of all positive results were false positives attributed to poppy seed ingestion or prescription medication. 

As a result, the National Institute on Drug Abuse increased the cut-off values for opium to 2000ng/ml. This increase in the cut-off value allowed labs to differentiate individuals who ate poppy seed baked goods from those using opioid drugs more precisely. 

Does it show on all tests?

No, testing positive for opioid drugs after eating a poppy seed bagel can only happen in urinalysis. And though it may happen, thanks to the increase in cut-off values, it’s highly unlikely that it will. However, consuming even high amounts of poppy seeds won’t show up on a hair follicle drug test. 

The opioid residue found in poppy seeds isn't concentrated enough and quickly leaves the bloodstream. As a result, it can't be trapped in human hair follicles in any measurable amounts, making it undetectable in hair follicle drug testing.

Conclusion

So, the rumors are true and backed up by actual scientific facts – though highly unlikely, you can test positive after eating a poppy seed bagel. However, that is only true for urine tests, since hair follicle testing can't detect opioid residues from baked goods that contain poppy seeds.

Still, pre-employment and workplace drug testing is becoming more common, which is why we advise you to be careful with the food that contains poppy seeds. In the face of an upcoming drug test, it's always a good idea to be safe than sorry and avoid products that might compromise you. Have you tried sesame bagels?