ROGERS, AR (KFSM/KXNW) - A couple lost their son to a morphine intoxication more than two years ago, and it's prompted them to put up a fight against unwashed poppy seeds.
After Steve and Betty Hacala's son Stephen died, the medical examiner found the presence of thebaine. The alkaloid opiate found in Stephen's blood stream. The medical examiner tied the morphine to poppy seeds found in Stephen's apartment.
"Through our research, we believe that these unwashed poppy seeds are just and underreported part of this overall opioid epidemic that we hear about," said Steve Hacala, Stephen's father.
Most people are used to seeing washed poppy seeds in foods like bagels or muffins. Washed poppy seeds are safe. It's the unwashed poppy seeds that pose a serious threat. Unwashed seeds can still have its opium latex, which contains morphine and codeine.
Inside a five pound bag of unwashed seeds, there can be as much as 6,000 milligrams of morphine. That's about 30 times more than the lethal limit of 200 milligrams.
Stephen's parents are diligently trying to raise awareness about the dangers of unwashed poppy seeds. Back in Arkansas, the Attorney General Leslie Rutledge sent a letter to online retailers like Amazon and Etsy. She wants the retailers to stop selling unwashed poppy seeds.
