Poppy Seed Myths: How True Are They?

For those who simply love cooking, poppy seeds can be just an ordinary thing commonly found in the kitchen. To simply describe what they are, poppy seeds are very small seeds of an opium poppy taking the shape of a kidney and are harvested directly from the seedpods. Poppy seeds have been long surviving throughout human history and have been cultivated as a basic remedy on various ailments. Presently, poppy pods play a very significant role on various dishes of home cooked meals and even on commercially manufactured foods.

Recently, there have been some beliefs going around regarding the use of these seeds. These misconceptions are nothing more than just myths with no firm evidence supporting its speculations.

One popular myth about poppy seeds is its significant role on positive results for a drug test. Such speculation was drawn out of the fact that the poppy seed resin is one of the basic components or ingredients in the massive production of illegal drugs like heroin, morphine, and codeine. Before, a lot of people were baffled of such myth, which made them refrain from eating commercial foods with poppy seeds as its main ingredient, and even stopped using them for their home cooked meals. This is primarily because they once thought that ingesting poppy seeds could lead to a positive drug result for Opiates. But then, it still strictly remains as a myth and nothing more.

However, it is somehow far from possible to gain a positive drug test by eating foods with a poppy seed ingredient. Such firm statement is supported by various drug testing laboratories that are using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. These laboratories use a two step process used to confirm the presence of heroine, codeine, and morphine, which are the three main members of the Opiod class. In this process, a 300 ng/ml result is contracted from a person who has been eating poppy seeds. The Department of Health and Human Services set a cutoff level of 2,000 ng/ml for the Opiate class. Under this guideline, people who are fond of eating poppy seed based goods are safe from having a positive drug result and only those who are truly using opium based illegal drugs are confirmed.

In most times, drug tests are needed to fill in a vacant slot for a job. This is one of the many security measures that most hiring companies do every time they go out looking for a new member of their empire. Another particular myth which is directly related to the previous one is the potential of poppy seeds in taking away your job opportunity. This myth suggests that eating foods that contain poppy seeds by any amount can definitely result to a positive drug test making you loose the chance of landing on a good job. Much worse, it can label you as a drug user. This may have been true and have been a misfortune to some back when the cut off level for the Opiate class was still at low 300 ng/ml. As ingestion of poppy seeds can provide the same result, the Department of Health and Human Services raised the cutoff level to 2,000 ng/ml.

These days, such myths are already just considered as a thing of the past, which have caused confusion on a lot of individuals. As the newly set guideline has proven to be more effective than before, such myths are merely a hindrance to your success and your moving on with life. Like any other myths and legends, they are just false collective beliefs.

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