Uploaded January 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Check out Trace's channel! youtube.com/tracedominguez - start with brain-computer interfaces youtube.com/watch?v=FPJDA9t3_m8 or going to space youtube.com/watch?v=jndESKr4SpI β’ There's an urban legend that poppy seeds can make you fail a drug test. Is it true? And if so: why? I ate a few bagels, and set out to flunk an opioid test.
πππ SOURCES and REFERENCES πππ
Drug tests donβt just work as a buzzkill, they can keep doctors and patients honest regarding some of the more dangerous drugs known to man. The problem is, poppy seeds can throw a giant wrench in that circle of trust! Poppy seeds come from the papaver somniferum flower native to Turkey, and even though they donβt contain opium, consuming the seeds has historically caused the tests to register opiate use!
In this video, I explore how these tests work, what they look for, and how something as simple as a bottle of seeds available at any grocery store, can cause a false positive for painkillers, heroin, morphine, and other drugs.
Encyclopedia Britannica: Poppy Seed
britannica.com/topic/poppy-seed
britannica.com/story/can-eating-poppy-seeds-make-you-fail-a-drug-test
Poppy seed, tiny dried seed of the opium poppy, used as food, food flavouring, and the source of poppy-seed oil. Poppy seeds have no narcotic properties, because the fluid contained in the bud that becomes opium is present only before the seeds are fully formed. The plant, Papaver somniferum, is an herbaceous annual native to Greece and the Orient. Poppy seed is an ancient spice; the seed capsules have been found in Switzerland in the remains of prehistoric lake dwellings.
Can Eating Poppy Seeds Give You a Positive Drug Test?
healthline.com/health/fitness-nutrition/poppy-seeds-drug-test#bottom-line
Itβs possible that even just one bagel or muffin highly loaded with poppy seeds can lead to a positive urine drug test.
LabCorp: Testing Methodology
labcorp.com/frequently-asked-questions/drug-testing/toxicology/testing-methodology#:~:text=LabCorp%20performs%20initial%20drug%20screening,drug%20present%20in%20urine%20samples.
Quest Diagnostics: Testing Insights
education.questdiagnostics.com/insights/88In
DrugAbuse.gov
archives.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/drug-testing-poppy-seeds#:~:text=Over%20the%20past%2020%20years,can%20indeed%20produce%20a%20positive
Did you know that morphine, codeine, and heroin are produced from the seeds of certain kinds of poppy flowers? Morphine and codeine are often used as medications for treating pain, and all threeβknown as opiatesβcan be abused
Snopes (true!)
snopes.com/fact-check/poppy-seeds-alter-drug-test-results
Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com/creator
Video supplied by Getty Images
Check out Trace's channel! youtube.com/tracedominguez - start with brain-computer interfaces youtube.com/watch?v=FPJDA9t3_m8 or going to space youtube.com/watch?v=jndESKr4SpI β’ There's an urban legend that poppy seeds can make you fail a drug test. Is it true? And if so: why? I ate a few bagels, and set out to flunk an opioid test.
πππ SOURCES and REFERENCES πππ
Drug tests donβt just work as a buzzkill, they can keep doctors and patients honest regarding some of the more dangerous drugs known to man. The problem is, poppy seeds can throw a giant wrench in that circle of trust! Poppy seeds come from the papaver somniferum flower native to Turkey, and even though they donβt contain opium, consuming the seeds has historically caused the tests to register opiate use!
In this video, I explore how these tests work, what they look for, and how something as simple as a bottle of seeds available at any grocery store, can cause a false positive for painkillers, heroin, morphine, and other drugs.
Encyclopedia Britannica: Poppy Seed
britannica.com/topic/poppy-seed
britannica.com/story/can-eating-poppy-seeds-make-you-fail-a-drug-test
Poppy seed, tiny dried seed of the opium poppy, used as food, food flavouring, and the source of poppy-seed oil. Poppy seeds have no narcotic properties, because the fluid contained in the bud that becomes opium is present only before the seeds are fully formed. The plant, Papaver somniferum, is an herbaceous annual native to Greece and the Orient. Poppy seed is an ancient spice; the seed capsules have been found in Switzerland in the remains of prehistoric lake dwellings.
Can Eating Poppy Seeds Give You a Positive Drug Test?
healthline.com/health/fitness-nutrition/poppy-seeds-drug-test#bottom-line
Itβs possible that even just one bagel or muffin highly loaded with poppy seeds can lead to a positive urine drug test.
LabCorp: Testing Methodology
labcorp.com/frequently-asked-questions/drug-testing/toxicology/testing-methodology#:~:text=LabCorp%20performs%20initial%20drug%20screening,drug%20present%20in%20urine%20samples.
Quest Diagnostics: Testing Insights
education.questdiagnostics.com/insights/88In
DrugAbuse.gov
archives.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/drug-testing-poppy-seeds#:~:text=Over%20the%20past%2020%20years,can%20indeed%20produce%20a%20positive
Did you know that morphine, codeine, and heroin are produced from the seeds of certain kinds of poppy flowers? Morphine and codeine are often used as medications for treating pain, and all threeβknown as opiatesβcan be abused
Snopes (true!)
snopes.com/fact-check/poppy-seeds-alter-drug-test-results
Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com/creator
Video supplied by Getty Images







![We walked the most dangerous path in Britain
The Broomway is surrounded on both sides by quicksand and deep, sucking mud. It has no markers and no guideposts. And if you mistime your walk, you wont outrun the tide. Oh, and its in the middle of a Ministry of Defence firing range. But most of the time, if you want to visit Foulness Island, its the only way.
Thanks to Tom Bennett: https://www.tombennettoutdoors.co.uk/
Filmed safely: https://www.tomscott.com/safe/
Edited by Michelle Martin https://www.youtube.com/@OnTheCrux
Audio mix by Graham Haerther
REFERENCES:
Christy (1922): A high road in the sea, The Windsor Magazine, volume 56, p556
MoD Shoeburyness Public Access Leaflet [PDF]: https://www.qinetiq.com/shoeburyness/-/media/3153cda9b4544222aaaa224ba88192a4.ashx
π₯ MORE FROM TOM: https://www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
β LATERAL, free weekly podcast: https://lateralcast.com/ https://youtube.com/lateralcast/
π₯ THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: https://youtube.com/techdif We walked the most dangerous path in Britain](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mM7C_Pw7OL8/mqdefault.jpg)


![Five Things You Cant Do On British Television
Pull down this description for information on all the shows I mention, plus all my references, and some advice if youre looking to subtitle your videos!
π€π€ SUBTITLES π€π€
15% of my viewers watch with subtitles! Theyre helpful for folks without headphones, or in loud environments, or who cant hear well, or who just like subtitles. More people will watch if subtitles are an option.
Before 2020, YouTube had a volunteer community-captions system. Alas, due to spam (and, I suspect, the difficulty of porting it to the new Studio), YouTube turned it off. So your options are:
OPTION 1: DO IT YOURSELF
If your video is one or two people talking, you can add subtitles easily with YouTubes tools: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796 - thats also possible for more complex videos, but it can be time-consuming.
OPTION 2: PAY A SMALL AMOUNT
If you can afford an editor, you can afford subtitles! They only cost $1-2 per minute of audio.
For simple audio, try Rev: https://www.rev.com/blog/coupon/?ref=tomscott To be clear, thats an affiliate link: you get $10 of captions free (enough for up to an 8-minute video), and I get a kickback from them. However, my opinions of Rev are mixed. They have downsides, and they may not be the right option for you!
Advantages of Rev:
β
Extremely fast turnaround
β
Easy, simple, automated, self-service
β
Reasonable price
Disadvantages of Rev:
π« Rev is a gig-economy company, with everything that entails. In 2019, transcribers raised issues including low pay. https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/25/20979249/rev-recordings-transcriptions-low-pay-complaints-freelance-transcribers
π« Accuracy is usually acceptable for clear speech, but not the near-perfect results youd expect from a more high-end subtitle company.
π« Theyre limited to their simple, narrow, house style. That isnt ideal for videos with long sentences or many speakers.
For more complicated audio or for multiple speakers, try Caption+: https://caption.plus a small company that produces extremely high-quality subtitles for a reasonable price.
Advantages of Caption+:
β
Exceptional subtitle accuracy.
β
Hand-tweaked broadcast-standard subtitles that are perfect for accessibility, and which the audience love.
β
Can use positioning and per-speaker colors, and match other style requests.
β
Still a reasonable price.
Disadvantages of Caption+:
π« Not automated: youre dealing with a human by email, and paying invoices.
OTHER COMPANIES: I also used 3PlayMedia once, but unfortunately cant recommend them based on that experience. YouTube also mention ceilo24 and Amara, neither of which I have experience with: https://cielo24.com/ https://amara.org/
πΊπΊ SHOWS πΊπΊ
Heres a list of all the shows mentioned, with links where available. (Where Amazon links are listed, those are affiliate links, where I earn a commission from sales.)
The Demon Headmaster is available on DVD from Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/37Cb68U - and the 2019 revival is available in the UK on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0009f6n/the-demon-headmaster
Derren Brown: The Events: How To Control The Nation is available for free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyIilWb9SW0 - although it lacks the live broadcast cut-ins.
The pilot episode of Crisis Command: Could You Run The Country? has been uploaded to YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjkSeuD-8yA - normally I wouldnt link to an unofficial upload, but the series will likely never be repeated or see a commercial release.
Ghostwatch is available on DVD from Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3kweAgL - I should absolutely have put the ghost in the background of one of my shots here, I regret missing that joke!
The full Ghostwatch continuity announcement is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDSZWpp_Rhw
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire have an entire YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/MillionaireUK/videos - and yes, Jeremy Clarkson is the host now, I suspect thatll surprise a lot of people.
ππ REFERENCES ππ
Ofcom Broadcasting Code: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code
On sports: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/code-sports-events
On access: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/tv-access-services
On advertising: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/code-tv-advertising AND https://www.ofcom.org.uk/ data/assets/pdf_file/0020/16328/rules.pdf
Only five complaints about the Derren Brown show is from Broadcast Bulletin 148 [PDF]: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/ data/assets/pdf_file/0018/47160/issue148.pdf
Ghostwatch, and the full tabloid fury afterwards, is well-documented in many places, so Ill leave researching that to the reader. Dont have nightmares.
ππ CONTACT ππ
Im at https://tomscott.com
on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at https://facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo Five Things You Cant Do On British Television](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m__OZ3ZsO4Y/mqdefault.jpg)