A Santa Cruz graduate student has pleaded no contest to heroin possession after police said they found morphine-laced beer in his garage.

Chad Renzelman said he used “a handful” of dried poppy pods to flavor a batch of homemade beer in August.

The organic chemistry student at the University of California, Santa Cruz said he extracted opium from the poppies, which he then converted to morphine.

He said the beer was for home consumption and that he didn’t know his actions were illegal.

Renzelman was arrested in September and sentenced Friday to drug diversion. His attorney says the offense will be cleared from Renzelman’s record if he avoids other legal trouble for the next 18 months.

The 28-year-old could have faced seven years in prison.