Morphine in poppy seeds must be limited, a recent study recommends

A recent study, published by researchers from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest and from Connecticut Poison Control Center, found that between 2000 and 2018 there were almost 600 cases of poison caused by poppy seeds in the US. Among these, 18 were overdoses, and three were deaths.  

Although poppy seeds do not contain opioids, such as morphine and codeine, they could become contaminated from other parts of the plant during various processes. If seeds are sold unprocessed and unwashed, they may contain a relatively high dosage of dangerous alkaloids. This amount could become hazardous if you make a cup of poppy seed tea, likely reaching 50 mg of morphine, a dose that could lead to an overdose in patients already treated with morphine for medical reasons.  

The authors propose to set a legal barrier to untreated poppy seeds: “we recommend that FDA consider clarifying to industry and retailers that the marketing and sale of contaminated poppy seeds are illegal, and that poppy seeds must be cleaned and any opiate alkaloids reduced to trace levels before entering commerce […] FDA could also issue guidance to industry advising good manufacturing practices to reduce opiate contamination in poppy seeds, including establishing a maximum permissible level.”    

In Europe the situation is different because it is forbidden to sell untreated poppy seeds or poppy seeds tea, and because the regulation by EFSA sets the safe level at 10 micrograms of opium alkaloids per kilogram of weight. These limitations provide a safety net that worth no recorded death or morphine overdose from contaminated poppy seeds in the EU.    

Source:    

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15563650.2020.1866766?scroll=top&needAccess=true  

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/180516