Life is just plain bizarre. It’s hard enough earning a living and making our way in the world, without failing mandatory drug tests when you haven’t done any drugs to warrant the result. I’m talking about eating poppy seeds and hemp foods. Yes, they can indeed cause you to fail a drug test. This does not happen often, but it does in fact occur from time to time.

A recent Pennsylvania case involves new mother Elizabeth Mort, who failed a drug test administered by the hospital where she gave birth. Apparently hospitals in that state are allowed to conduct drug tests on new mothers. Mort claims that she had eaten a Dunkin Donuts bagel with poppy seeds on the morning she gave birth last month, and that this resulted in the failed drug test.

So is this a ridiculous claim, or does it have merit? While I can’t say one way or another about the case of Elizabeth Mort, I can say that eating poppy seeds can indeed cause you to fail a drug test for opiates. So bagel eaters beware if your employer likes to surprise you with random drug testing...