Oklahoma Couple Is Indicted For Selling Lethal Poppy Seed Tea

In case you didn’t know, opium is derived from the poppy seed. A Tulsa couple indicted in federal court after prosecutors say they sold unprocessed poppy seeds in tea that allegedly killed a Utah woman. Authorities say the poppy seeds that were in tea Brandon and Rachel McCarthy sold online were covered in an opium latex that was not removed after the seeds were harvested. Opium latex is a byproduct of the opium poppy plant and contains morphine and codeine. The indictment alleges a single dose of the McCarthy's poppy seed tea could expose the user to as much as 12-hundred milligrams of morphine. It only takes 200 milligrams to kill a person. The couple allegedly promoted their tea as a way to relieve anxiety and pain. Buyer beware… you never know what you’re getting!