P.somniferum grows as freely as a weed locally, but is most attractive, and
hence left to bloom and go to seed and thus goes on and on.. From fifty
plants' fruits I tried to bleed off the sap. This eventually dried to a
speck that would have caused no problem to a constipated mouse!! It tasted
awful and wouldn't respond to heat~~not that I knew how it should have
responded!
I was sixteen and have never bothered since. I have seen the seeds being
collected but don't know if these were for cooking or scattering. They are
not illegal to grow here 'without intent'. Eg. It is not illegal to carry
a crowbar; unless it is being carried to use to break into a property!!.
Best Wishes Brian
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:jj9ic.8032$0u6.1529055@attbi_s03...

"escapee" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:55:36 GMT, agnatha3141
opined:

does anybody know for certain what kind of poppies are legal and what
kind are not in the us? i read in a past post that poppies are legal to
grow as long as you dont go making heroin from them, but is that
definately true?
i planted some poppy seeds, and it has been about four months. i think
that blooming time is near, and i dont want to get arrested. what is
the deal with poppies?

The only one is Oriental, but I grow them and nobody arrests me.
Catalogs
sell
them everywhere

I am constantly amazed at the amount of misinformation that gets
disseminated through this group.

Oriental poppies (Papaver orientalis) are NOT illegal to own or grow and
are
not the source of opium. Papaver somniferum, aka the breadseed, sleep,
peony-flowered or opium poppy IS illegal, but enforcement is, at the best,
sporadic and half-hearted. The seeds are very commonly sold by a number of
seed supply houses and are routinely included in wildflower seed mixes,
poppy starts are frequently found in nurserires and someone somewhere is
growing them in bulk, otherwise there would be no poppyseed pastries and
bagels.

Since I read somewhere that it takes like an acre or more to produce any
measurable quantity of opium (just a recollection - don't quote as fact),
growing a few plants in your garden will hardly be considered the next
major
crime wave and hopefully the police and DEA have more important issues to
attend to.

I have heard of plants being removed from gardens - whether by the
authorities or kids experimenting was never clear - but I have never heard
of anyone arrested for growing a few of them in a garden setting.

pam - gardengal