not allowed to visit Kalahari Bushmen with J. Peterman after testing positive for opium from the consumption of poppy seed muffins. Legal status The sale of poppy seeds from Papaver somniferum is banned in Singapore because of the morphine content. Poppy seeds are also prohibited in Taiwan, primarily because of the risk that viable seeds will be sold and used to grow opium poppies. China prohibits spice mixes made from poppy seed and poppy seed pods because of the traces of opiates in them, and has since at least 2005. Despite its present use in Arab cuisine as a bread spice, poppy seeds are also banned in Saudi Arabia for various religious and drug control reasons. In one extreme case in the United Arab Emirates, poppy seeds found on a traveler's clothes led to imprisonment. Concerns were raised in Malaysia by MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof who claimed in 2005 that mamak restaurants used poppy seeds in their cooking to get customers addicted to it. It is illegal to grow opium-bearing cultivars of Papaver genus in Russia, although selling poppy seeds is not restricted in most regions. International travelers As poppy seeds cause false positive results in drug tests, it is advised in airports in India not to carry such items to other countries, where this can result in punishments based on false positive results. Travelers to the United Arab Emirates are especially prone to difficulties and severe punishments. In Singapore, poppy seeds are classified as "prohibited goods" by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). Gallery See also List of poppy seed pastries and dishes References Further reading Jenő Bernáth. Poppy: The Genus Papaver. CRC Press, 1998. . Crops Edible nuts and seeds Poppy seeds Spices Indian spices Poppies