Risk Of Foods With Poppy Seeds And Drug Test

Our son Michael likes Costco muffins with poppy seeds and a poppy seed salad dressing (the only dairy free one he's found so far that he really likes).

Today my sister's (his aunt's) friend told him that consuming poppy seeds can result in a failed drug test. Both she and my sister worked in county offices that required drug testing for some employees. I searched and quite a few seemingly trustworthy sites show that this can indeed be the case.

Michael does not smoke, drink alcohol, or take any drugs (prescribed or otherwise), except maybe an allergy pill and maybe ibuprofen, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone here has heard of this being a problem with a CDL holder. This would seemingly have potential for ending the career of someone who is innocent. Thanks in advance.

Yes its true but you'd have to eat a ton of it for it to show up

Our son Michael likes Costco muffins with poppy seeds and a poppy seed salad dressing (the only dairy free one he's found so far that he really likes).

Today my sister's (his aunt's) friend told him that consuming poppy seeds can result in a failed drug test. Both she and my sister worked in county offices that required drug testing for some employees. I searched and quite a few seemingly trustworthy sites show that this can indeed be the case.

Michael does not smoke, drink alcohol, or take any drugs (prescribed or otherwise), except maybe an allergy pill and maybe ibuprofen, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone here has heard of this being a problem with a CDL holder. This would seemingly have potential for ending the career of someone who is innocent. Thanks in advance.

Hay, Harvey!!

I had heard of a woman who lost her baby due to poppy seed bagels; I finally found the article. It's old, but...incorporates some other scenarios. I couldn't find one CDL specific, however.

Poppy Seeds & Drug Tests

If I were you, I'd ask Michael to switch to blueberry muffins, but stick to the dressing! (We LOVE poppy seed dressing, too!!)

Best TO y'all!!

~ Anne ~

I just read a news report about a young man who ate some left over rice and got this horrific bacterial infection that required the amputation of both legs and his fingers. This can happen with both rice and pasta that is left out and not refrigerated.

Truckers often don’t have proper refrigeration, especially in the older trucks before refrigerators and inverters. Just sayin’, be careful with your leftovers!

Eh he probably had a weak immune system. I've ate rice, pasta etc that happened to not get put in the fridge (the next day) Never had ill effects. Hell growing up my buddies mom prepared food, and left it out all day for the 10 kids to help themselves during the day. I ate when ever I was at his house lol I was like a garbage disposal as a kid. No lids, flies probably on it, etc, and my immunity is pretty dang strong. I used to eat those red habanero chiles right off the bush, his mom grew in the back yard, sure can't eat them now too hot !

When I was a teenager, I remember seeing some weed plants growing over the back fence between the I-605 freeway and their house. I thought it was the gang bangers, next door, maybe they had tossed out some seeds. So I ask my buds younger bro "Hey Juan, you see them 8 weed plants back there??? He was like "Dude, DO NOT touch em, they are my moms !! ....She grew it to put in bottle of mexican pure alcohol for an arthritus rub, he said she'd kill me if I took em ! damnnnnn Thought I'd scored hahaha

Our son Michael likes Costco muffins with poppy seeds and a poppy seed salad dressing (the only dairy free one he's found so far that he really likes).

Today my sister's (his aunt's) friend told him that consuming poppy seeds can result in a failed drug test. Both she and my sister worked in county offices that required drug testing for some employees. I searched and quite a few seemingly trustworthy sites show that this can indeed be the case.

Michael does not smoke, drink alcohol, or take any drugs (prescribed or otherwise), except maybe an allergy pill and maybe ibuprofen, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone here has heard of this being a problem with a CDL holder. This would seemingly have potential for ending the career of someone who is innocent. Thanks in advance.

Back on topic, Harvey;

I found this, as my curiosity was still piqued: Read page 11/20 ~ CDL .pdf Presentation, WA.

I sure didn't know this part!

"*Afraid to eat a Poppy Seed Muffin? Testing cutoff levels for opiates were increased from 300 ng/ml to 2,000 ng/ml as of December 1, 1998. Can you believe we’re still talking about this?"

Best to you, Michael, and Linda!

~ Anne & Tom ~

Our son Michael likes Costco muffins with poppy seeds and a poppy seed salad dressing (the only dairy free one he's found so far that he really likes).

Today my sister's (his aunt's) friend told him that consuming poppy seeds can result in a failed drug test. Both she and my sister worked in county offices that required drug testing for some employees. I searched and quite a few seemingly trustworthy sites show that this can indeed be the case.

Michael does not smoke, drink alcohol, or take any drugs (prescribed or otherwise), except maybe an allergy pill and maybe ibuprofen, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone here has heard of this being a problem with a CDL holder. This would seemingly have potential for ending the career of someone who is innocent. Thanks in advance.

Back on topic, Harvey;

I found this, as my curiosity was still piqued: Read page 11/20 ~ CDL .pdf Presentation, WA.

I sure didn't know this part!

"*Afraid to eat a Poppy Seed Muffin? Testing cutoff levels for opiates were increased from 300 ng/ml to 2,000 ng/ml as of December 1, 1998. Can you believe we’re still talking about this?"

Best to you, Michael, and Linda!

~ Anne & Tom ~

Thanks, Anne (and Tom!)

When I searched after my sister's friend brought this up, I found several search results that said that it didn't require very many poppy seeds to test positive. As your link points out, the level of opiates is important and one of the results I found indicated any specifics. Surely you'd think you'd hear some of the drivers out there would have heard of another driver getting fired if this was a serious risk. I'll go back and ask my sister's friend about how long ago it was when she heard of people having troubles. Both she and my sisters worked in counties for many years but were smart enough to retire before I have....dummy just keeps on working.

It's funny to see this come up, I love everything bagels, quit eating them to be on the safe side. I just protect my CDL. I don't want to risk it. It would be especially ironic in my case.

I've been a dietitian for quite some time. I've worked with athletes who have asked me this same question. Although it can't be ruled out completely, nothing in science can, it's highly unlikely that you will fail a drug test because you ate some food with a few poppy seeds in or on it. To being with, 90% of the opium is removed during processing. There is a very small detectable amount left in the urine after 24 - 48 hours. With that said, if one is concerned about a career ending drug test because of poppy seeds, why risk it at all? Poppy seeds, have no nutritional value to speak of and they make a big mess.

Here is a link to USADA. The US Anti-Doping agency, a reputable organization, they writes the book on some of this stuff including drug references and athlete education, and they test athletes. USADA poppy seed/positive test

Our son Michael likes Costco muffins with poppy seeds and a poppy seed salad dressing (the only dairy free one he's found so far that he really likes).

Today my sister's (his aunt's) friend told him that consuming poppy seeds can result in a failed drug test. Both she and my sister worked in county offices that required drug testing for some employees. I searched and quite a few seemingly trustworthy sites show that this can indeed be the case.

Michael does not smoke, drink alcohol, or take any drugs (prescribed or otherwise), except maybe an allergy pill and maybe ibuprofen, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone here has heard of this being a problem with a CDL holder. This would seemingly have potential for ending the career of someone who is innocent. Thanks in advance.

I've been a dietitian for quite some time. I've worked with athletes who have asked me this same question. Although it can't be ruled out completely, nothing in science can, it's highly unlikely that you will fail a drug test because you ate some food with a few poppy seeds in or on it. To being with, 90% of the opium is removed during processing. There is a very small detectable amount left in the urine after 24 - 48 hours. With that said, if one is concerned about a career ending drug test because of poppy seeds, why risk it at all? Poppy seeds, have no nutritional value to speak of and they make a big mess.

Here is a link to USADA. The US Anti-Doping agency, a reputable organization, they writes the book on some of this stuff including drug references and athlete education, and they test athletes. USADA poppy seed/positive test

Our son Michael likes Costco muffins with poppy seeds and a poppy seed salad dressing (the only dairy free one he's found so far that he really likes).

Today my sister's (his aunt's) friend told him that consuming poppy seeds can result in a failed drug test. Both she and my sister worked in county offices that required drug testing for some employees. I searched and quite a few seemingly trustworthy sites show that this can indeed be the case.

Michael does not smoke, drink alcohol, or take any drugs (prescribed or otherwise), except maybe an allergy pill and maybe ibuprofen, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone here has heard of this being a problem with a CDL holder. This would seemingly have potential for ending the career of someone who is innocent. Thanks in advance.

Thank you Bill for sharing our knowledge.

Michael seems to be a good driver (maybe very good even) and loves the job. However, he has very particular eating habits so it is hard for him to find food he enjoys. He did eat blueberry muffins from Costco before but now seems to want to avoid them. Anything with onions in them, green peas, citrus, vinegar, mustard, plums, asparagus, and dozens of other things cause gagging and eyes rolling back, etc., lol. He has a extremely keen sense of taste and smell, we learned early on there was no use in trying to fool him (he once detected a piece of onion about the size of a pinhead). He loves Cesar salad dressing but has found dairy products to cause him problems so poppy seed dressing had been his "go to" dressing. the poppy seeds in either the dressing or Costco muffins don't seem to actually add much flavor but are apparently added for appearance or texture.

I guess for now we will suggest he avoid the poppy seed products whenever he is within a couple of days of a terminal and keep searching for some alternatives.