# Really, REALLY stupid question about piss tests

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-really-stupid-question-about-piss-tests/340533>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 18, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-really-stupid-question-about-piss-tests/340533 "2006-01-18T18:31:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-really-stupid-question-about-piss-tests/340533/41 "2006-01-22T20:15:51Z")

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> [@Al128](#):
>
> why did the link I posted (a product on e-bay that claims to beat drug tests) got deleted?

Two reasons. Commercial links are usually not welcome here. The other would be a product that claims to defeat drug tests would be considered illegal. And we just don’t need to go there.

**samclem** GQ moderator

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**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-really-stupid-question-about-piss-tests/340533/42 "2006-01-22T23:04:50Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Couldn’t one use the proportions of narcotics vs. other poppy compounds to distinguish drugs from poppyseeds? As in, you detect non-narcotic poppy compounds in the sample. From this, you deduce that the subject ate X quantity of poppyseeds Y amount of time before the test. That consumption of poppyseeds would be expected to produce Z level of opium. If the level of opium found in the sample was Z, then it’s just bagels, but if it’s greater, then there must have been some other, non-poppyseed source.

Well, since poppy seeds themselves can be used recreationally (as [Cecil confirms](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_116.html)), and the level of opiates contained in seeds varies widely depending on where they come from, the particular crop, etc., I don’t think you could rely on the level of opiates to tell if it was poppy seeds or opium. (Fortunately, not too many drug users take opium these days, with heroin and morphine being a lot more common, so if they find codeine and thebaine and whatnot, it probably is due to poppy seeds.) (But hey, that doesn’t mean your testee isn’t using poppy seeds to get high…) (But probably not.)

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