Amos Nomore expounded:


I would like to retract that statement. Opium poppy plants are
scheduled in the US. Deliberate cultivation of the plant is actually
illegal, but since these plants are so common and have many uses other
than drug production, cultivators are rarely prosecuted unless they are
growing conspicuously large quantities or are otherwise clearly engaged
in drug production. If you are bothered by law enforcement for having a
few poppy plants on your property, claiming they were not planted but
volunteered should get you off the hook unless, of course, you've been
slashing those pods.

I apologize for misinformation.

I've told this story before here, but years ago.

The seeds I've offered were given to me originally by a little old
lady over in Scituate (she was a wonderful gardener, of course she's
gone now, and so is her garden). She had them growing in her garden
for years and years - until an overzealous new cop saw them and
decided to 'bust' her for them. It made the local papers. The
charges were dropped and the cop subjected to much ridicule. They
haven't bothered any of us again. Of course if I was carving up the
seedpods and harvesting the resulting sap I'd be in a bit of trouble,
but since they're right next to the busy road I live on and the police
have full view of them I'm pretty sure they'll not bother with me.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
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