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Army reminds soldiers to avoid poppy seeds and delta-8 in updated substance abuse regulations

Army reminds soldiers to avoid poppy seeds and delta-8 in updated substance abuse regulations

Close-up view of a bagel topped with poppy seeds.

Poppy seeds can result in a positive indication for codeine or morphine in a drug screen. (Wikimedia Commons)


The Army recently revised its 142-page substance abuse regulations to remind soldiers to avoid poppy seeds and delta-8, a mild cannabinoid, both of which can result in a positive drug-screening test.

The regulations, revised on Oct. 4, spell out the details of the military’s program to combat substance abuse in its ranks, including guidelines for “smart” drug testing, who is responsible for conducting tests and the protocol for carrying the test container to the restroom. and delivery of a sample.

For example, the person required to follow a soldier providing a urine sample must possess “impeccable moral character and sufficient maturity to preserve the dignity of the Soldier being tested,” the regulation states.

Delta-8 was already banned, but the Oct. 4 review reaffirms its dangers and reminds troops that ingesting the drug is prohibited by the Army.

Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol is a weaker form of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. It’s natural, but most of the delta-8 THC found in commercial products is made in a lab, according to WebMD. Delta-8 can be found in products such as gummies, capsules, creams, and vaporizer cartridges.

It’s sometimes called “lite marijuana” or “diet weed” because it causes a hazy high that’s less intense than delta-9, the stronger form of THC, according to WebMD.

“Delta-8 use is becoming increasingly problematic in the military,” Michael Hicks, drug testing coordinator for the Army Substance Abuse Program in Ft. Campbell, Ky., said in an April 2022 Army news release.

The military acknowledged but did not immediately respond to a request for more information this week.

The military has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to illegal or illicit drugs. The military has been testing for delta-8 since July 2021, but its popularity in designer drugs like spice and increasing availability prompted its inclusion in the October 4 update.

These drugs are also available in states where marijuana is legal, but are always banned in the military.

Drugs like delta-8 “have no known application other than mimicking the effects of THC in the human body,” according to the updated regulations. They are so closely related in their effects to THC that they will have the same potential for abuse as THC.

The military warned its troops to beware of products containing delta-8 two years ago, noting that because it is not as recognized as other cannabinoids, it is still banned.

“Less than 1 percent of the population I talk to knows what Delta-8 is or says they’ve heard of it,” said Byron Goode, a civilian specialist with the Army’s Substance Abuse Program based at Fort Sill, Okla. Press release 2022.

As for poppy seeds, their danger lies not in adverse physical or mental health risks, but in the simple fact that they can result in a positive indication for codeine or morphine in a drug screen.

“Poppy seeds don’t have enough opiates to get you high,” states the University of Florida College of Medicine website. “But because drug tests are extremely sensitive, eating certain foods with poppy seeds can result in positive urine drug tests for opiates — especially morphine, codeine, or both.”

Poppy seeds themselves do not contain opiates, but during harvest they can be contaminated with opiates in the milky latex of the seed pod that covers them, according to the college.

In July 2021, the military also warned soldiers about possible false positives caused by poppy seeds. This month’s updated warning added more details.

“Soldiers are encouraged to avoid eating foods containing poppy seeds, as the newer variety of seeds may contain high levels of codeine,” the regulation states.

“Although drug testing laboratories have implemented additional measures to distinguish poppy seed ingestion from codeine misuse, Soldiers should make every effort to avoid these foods,” the regulation states.