Did Poppy Seeds Cause Two Women to Fail Their Drug Test?
Poppy seeds are a small oilseed that come from an opium poppy plant, and have been cultivated around the world for thousands of years. But were there still enough opiates detected in these seeds that caused two new mothers to fail a drug test? According to a lawsuit filed by human rights groups, two new mothers fail their drug tests, and were reported to authorities, after consuming poppy seeds.
The USDA's website says that while poppy seeds contain morphine, the seeds can become coated by, or absorb, opium extract during harvesting. Research shows that morphine and codeine can sometimes be detected in the urine up to 48 hours after ingestion of poppy seeds from some pastries, such as bagels, muffins, and cakes So, while safe to eat, the seeds can occasionally cause a false positive on a drug test.
According to the New York Civil Liberties Union and National Advocates for Pregnant Women, the Orange County hospital allegedly drug tested both women without consent and then reported both the New York State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment when the tests came back positive. The NY Post says that one woman had eaten a poppy seed bagel before going into labor, and the other had consumed a salad with poppy seed dressing.
The groups are suing on the women's behalfs, claiming the hospital discriminated against both women on the basis of their gender and pregnancy, and caused “invasive searches of their homes by local child welfare authorities.” The incidents happened in December 2020, and March 2021, respectively.
While complaints like this certainly have their merit, not all suits do. Look at this nonsense from back in October. One Hudson Valley woman says there weren't enough real strawberries in her Pop-Tarts. Syracuse.com is reporting that a woman is suing Kellogg's because their Whole Grain Frosted Strawberry Toaster Pastries don't contain any strawberries, and instead other fruits. The suit claims that the snacks actually contain more pears and apples, which doesn't provide a strawberry’s nutritional benefit. TMZ says that the ingredients on the back of the box says the Pop-Tarts is made with “2% or less” of pears, apples, and strawberries.
TMZ says the class-action suit is claiming the damages exceed $5 million dollars. Geesh.