S. 1258 would require the federal government to set safety standards for morphine and codeine contamination in poppy seeds sold in the United States, treating poppy seeds that exceed those limits as unsafe food products prohibited from interstate commerce. The bill is named after Stephen Hacala, a 24-year-old from Arkansas who died from morphine poisoning caused by contaminated poppy seeds, and congressional findings cite at least 19 confirmed U.S. deaths from contaminated poppy seeds as well as cases of women testing positive for opiates during childbirth due to poppy seed consumption. The Department of Health and Human Services would have one year to propose contamination thresholds and two years to finalize the rules, with contaminated seeds remaining subject to federal drug control laws. The legislation affects food manufacturers, importers, and consumers by establishing enforceable safety standards for a common food ingredient that has caused accidental morphine overdoses and generated false positive drug tests among military personnel and hospital patients.
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