Poppy tea

Legality

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, all parts of Papaver somniferum after harvesting (except for the seeds) are illegal by law, as they are Listed as drugs in the Opium Law. Because of use for decorative purposes, the trade in, and possession of dried Papaver somniferum is not actively prosecuted. Trade in, or possession of dried Papaver somniferum with the intention of drug use can be prosecuted. The dried seed pod of Papaver somniferum is easily obtainable as it is commonly available for decorative use. Many varieties, strains, and cultivars of Papaver somniferum are in existence, and the alkaloid content can vary significantly.

United States

In the United States it is legal to purchase poppy seeds, but all other parts of the plant are considered Schedule II controlled substances under the federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Unwashed poppy seeds can potentially contain lethal concentrations of morphine but only in excessively large quantities (e.g. multiple pounds of seeds). The Opium Poppy Exclusion Act of 1942 bans growing the poppy in many cases but is generally not a problem for gardeners as the plant is widely grown for the flowers, and for seeds for replanting and cooking. For much of US history poppies were a significant cash crop, and the government encouraged farmers to grow more poppies for medicinal use during wars up to World War I. It is, however, manufacture of a schedule II substance to create a drink for the opium content, and the possession of it is illegal as well.

Canada

The import and sale of opium poppy seeds is legal in Canada, but possession of other parts of the plant may be prosecuted. Canadian authorities have noted the presence of dode or doda in the South Asian community, a traditional form of poppy tea. Crackdowns on this traditional preparation in the late 2000s led to a number of arrests in Canada.

Chemical composition

Poppy tea contains two groups of alkaloids: phenanthrenes (including morphine and codeine) and benzylisoquinolines (including papaverine). Of these, morphine is the most prevalent comprising 8%-14% of the total. Its effects derive from the fact that it binds to and activates mu opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, stomach and intestine.

Dried Papaver somniferum capsules and stems will, if harvested and dried by the usual protocol, contain significantly lower quantities of thebaine than opium made from latex as well as somewhat more codeine. When ingested, thebaine causes nausea, vomiting, and myoclonus. Thebaine is an important precursor for manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and is more concentrated in the roots of Papaver somniferum than elsewhere. Other species of poppies, numbering in the hundreds, do not contain morphine or codeine in useful amounts, but may contain non-narcotic alkaloids like protopine, sanguinarine or berberine.

Side effects and tolerance

Side effects increase with dosage, and include drowsiness, mild stomach ache, lethargy, urinary retention, bradypnea, constipation, nausea, respiratory depression, and death. Nausea can be attributed to the presence of noscapine. At high doses, the side effects are dangerous and can cause death through hypoventilation or pulmonary aspiration of vomit.

Symptoms of withdrawal include diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, anxiety, rhinorrhea, agitation, seizures.

Deaths

In the United States, in 2003, a 17-year-old who, according to his parents, was self-treating his anxiety with home-brewed poppy seed tea, died of pulmonary edema caused by acute morphine and codeine intoxication. A Drug Alert posted by the DOJ in 2010 pointed to five deaths possibly resulting from drinking of poppy tea. Since 2010, not less than 10 deaths presumably related to poppy tea consumption were reported by the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS).

In Canada, on 19 May 2012, a 19-year-old from Nova Scotia died after drinking the tea from a poppy seed pod he purchased on the Internet.

In November 2012, a Tasmanian youth died after drinking tea brewed from seed heads, and a 50-year-old Tasmanian man died in similar circumstances in February 2011.

Some instances of death or injury associated with the consumption of poppy seed tea have involved users who combined the beverage with other nervous system depressants (i.e. alcohol, tranquillizers, benzodiazepines).

References

References

1. (2 March 2010). "EWS Report 000002". United States Department of Justice.
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3. "Photo Gallery". Opium Museum.
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5. (3 October 2017). "Quantification of Morphine, Codeine, and Thebaine in Home-Brewed Poppy Seed Tea by LC-MS/MS". Journal of Forensic Sciences.
6. "Controlled Substances Act". FDA.
7. "Controlled Drugs and Substances Act(S.C. 1996, c.19)". Government of Canada.
8. "Ontario man arrested for 'doda' poppy preparation". Dosenation.com.
9. (2009-01-08). "Police warn about street drug called Doda | Toronto Star". Thestar.com.
10. "Popular opium-like drug seized in B.C.".
11. (November 2017). "Error Redirect". Winnipeg Free Press.
12. [http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/03/17/13260631.html Doda drug bust in Peel Region] {{webarchive. link. (2012-09-25)
13. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/unwashed_poppy_seed.pdf Retrieved 12/16/24
14. (5 February 2019). "Poppy Seed Tea: A Short Review and Case Study". National Library of Medicine (US govt. site).
15. (16 January 2008). "Homebrewed High -- Can Poppy Tea Kill?".
16. [https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/Poppy%20letter_FINAL2_0.pdf Poppy letter - Center for Science in the Public Interest] [https://web.archive.org/web/20190519130602/https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/Poppy%20letter_FINAL2_0.pdf Archived]
17. [https://cspinet.org/news/cspi-urges-fda-dea-crack-down-unwashed-poppy-seeds CSPI Urges FDA, DEA to Crack Down on Sale of Contaminated Poppy Seeds: At Least 12 U.S. Deaths Are Associated with ‘Tea’ Made with Poppy Seeds or Pods], April 3, 2019, ''Center for Science in the Public Interest'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20190519131153/https://cspinet.org/news/cspi-urges-fda-dea-crack-down-unwashed-poppy-seeds Archived]
18. "CBC News - Nova Scotia family warns of poppy seed tea dangers".
19. unknown. (29 November 2012). "Teen dies after drinking poppy tea". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
20. McKenna, K. (2014, Dec. 5). Poppy seed tea fatality prompts drug alert from coroner. ''The Courier Mail.'' Retrieved from https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/poppy-seed-tea-fatality-prompts-drug-alert-from-coroner/news-story/d8c34033bd0804e4e40e835eda755074
21. Bailey, K., Clay, D., Kraner, J., et al. (2010, Oct.). Fatality Involving the Ingestion of Phenazepam and Poppy Seed Tea. ''Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 34'' (8), 527-573.