Bill > S3354

This bill, the Stephen Hacala Poppy Seed Safety Act, aims to prohibit the sale of food that contains unsafe or contaminated poppy seeds. The bill cites several findings, including the tragic death of Stephen Hacala, a 24-year-old who died from morphine intoxication caused by consuming contaminated poppy seeds, and the fact that at least 19 people in the United States have died from similar causes. The bill also notes that women have tested positive for opiates at childbirth due to poppy seed consumption, and the Department of Defense has warned servicemembers to avoid poppy seeds due to the risk of positive drug tests. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a maximum level of contamination by morphine, codeine, and other alkaloid compounds in poppy seeds, and to determine whether contaminated poppy seeds should be considered adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or regulated under the Controlled Substances Act.