In article ,
Neil Jones wrote:

The alarming discovery was made by Carmarthenshire county recorder and
president of the Botanical Society of Great Britain Richard Pryce.

Mr Pryce said last night: "I have advised the county's countryside
officers Elwyn Hughes and Rosie Carmichael that they are harbouring in
their vergespapaver somniferum which is restricted in some countries
because it is used for making addictive narcotic drugs."

My suspicion is that Mr Pryce has a somewhat cynical sense of humour,
and there was probably some bureaucratic nonsense that led up to
that statement. Such as a circular demanding that all council
officials report sightings of politically undesirable plants.

That statement is absolutely true but a bureaucrat with no
knowledge of pharmacological botany and probably little sense of
humour would almost certainly misread it. As seems to have happened.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.