US woman’s baby taken away after she ate salad

US resident Susan Horton experienced a real nightmare after her newborn fifth child was taken away by child protection services due to a faulty drug test. The source of the problem turned out to be unexpected – poppy seed salad dressing that the woman ate shortly before giving birth, Liter.kz reports.

As reported by The basethe story began when Susan, tired of moving and family worries, ignored the contract with the hospital, which included a mandatory drug test. Confident in her innocence, she was shocked when she was told that her tests showed the presence of opiates in her system. The cause was poppy seeds containing thebaine – an opiate that in small doses can give a false positive result for drugs.

Susan’s process of getting her child back through the courts took several weeks. This case is far from isolated. In the US, the practice of drug testing before childbirth has been around for many years, and as of 2022, more than 35,000 women have received false positive results. As a result, more than 6,000 newborns have been removed by social services.

Experts criticize the system for the lack of accuracy of tests. Due to the cost-cutting, clinics often do not conduct repeat tests, which leads to tragic consequences for families. Toxicologists warn that in such cases it is important to focus on specific substances, such as thebaine, to avoid such mistakes.