'Poppy seeds' or khus khus, used in Indian and middle eastern dishes, do not contain banned substances and are not addictive unless they are mixed with other parts of the plant, a toxicologist here has said.
The observations by Mustafa Ali Mohd from Universiti Malaya's Department of Pathology come after Malaysian authorities said people consuming khus khus could be charged if tested positive for drugs.
By itself, the poppy seeds havea negligible amount of codeine, which is unlikely to be detected in a urine test unless consumed in huge amounts, Mustafa said.
"Many parts of the poppy plant are addictive and can cause euphoria, but not the seeds. The seeds can be eaten," he said.
"The problem comes when the husks of the pods and the twigs are added into the seeds. These contain much more codeine and other addictive components," Mustafa said in an interview to a local daily.
Kuala Lumpur Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department chief Wan Abdullah Ishak said recently that consumers eating food laden with poppy seeds could be charged in court and jailed or fined if tested positive for drugs.
Mustafa said opium is derived from the coagulated latex of poppy pods.
"Consumers too can take precaution by avoiding poppy seeds that are mixed with other parts of the plant," he said.
Asked if seeds were considered part of the plant since it was illegal to consume poppy plants in Malaysia, Mustafa said poppy plants were deemed illegal because they contained illegal ingredients.
"If it (the seed) does not contain the illegal ingredients, it cannot be illegal."
Health Minister S Subramaniam said the ministry would not ban the import and usage of poppy seeds for culinary purposes as consumption in small amounts would not result in addiction.
