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Pentagon: Military members should avoid poppy seeds or risk false positive drug test

While concerns about poppy seeds and drug testing are not new, recent data showed the seeds might be more contaminated with codeine than previously reported.

WASHINGTON — Lemon poppy seed muffins and everything bagels are off the table for military members, at least for the near future. 

All service members should avoid poppy seeds or risk a false positive result on drug tests, according to a Feb. 17 memo from a top Pentagon official.  

Poppy seeds are harvested from the poppy plant, a commercial crop cultivated by the food and drug industries which produces opium, which the pharmaceutical industry refines into morphine and codeine, powerful drugs. While the seeds of the plant don't normally contain the substances naturally, they may become contaminated with trace amounts when being harvested. 

While concerns with poppy seeds' effects on drug testing are not new, according to the memo from Gil Cisneros, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, new data shows some varieties of poppy seeds contain higher levels of codeine contamination than had previously been reported. 

"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 reads. "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." 

The Department of Defense did not say if any troops have been affected by false positive drug tests because of poppy seed consumption. The policy may be revised as new information becomes available, the Pentagon said. Service members who have concerns about drug test results should work with their local legal office, according to the memo.

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