H.R. 2615 — Stephen Hacala Poppy Seed Safety Act

This section sets forth congressional findings on deaths and health risks from morphine-contaminated poppy seeds—including at least 19 U.S. fatalities, positive drug tests among servicemembers and pregnant women, DoD warnings, and contamination levels up to 2,788 milligrams of morphine per kilogram—and declares the purpose of the Act to establish thresholds for morphine, codeine, and other illicit compounds in poppy seeds above which they are deemed adulterated and prohibited in interstate commerce.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to (1) issue, not later than one year after enactment, a proposed rule establishing maximum allowable contamination levels in poppy seeds for morphine, codeine, other alkaloid compounds, and any other compounds designated by the Secretary—above which poppy seeds are deemed adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act—and (2) finalize the rule not later than two years after enactment.

This section clarifies that nothing in this Act exempts poppy seeds contaminated by morphine, codeine, another alkaloid compound, or any other compound designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 3 from regulation under the Controlled Substances Act.