K A S H R U T . C O M_©

February 22, 2023 from the Washington Post:

"The Defense Department is advising U.S. military personnel to be mindful of a substance that could derail their careers: poppy seeds.

"In a memo published Tuesday, Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr., the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, warned service members that eating poppy seeds could result in a failed drug test.

"Navy Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman said in an email to The Washington Post that the Defense Department became aware of the poppy seed problem last year. She said the department reviewed studies and worked with a laboratory to analyze codeine and morphine levels in poppy seed brands.

"New data shows some poppy seeds varieties “may have higher codeine contamination than previously reported,” Cisneros’s memo states.

"'Consumption of poppy seed products could cause a codeine positive urinalysis result and undermine the Department’s ability to identify illicit drug use,' he wrote."