Popp (hypothetical)

AmberLBowers · #1 04/12/11, 11:34 AM

OK, of course, this is only a hypothetical situation, not in real life...

Let's just say I got to reading the morphine substitutes thread in the vault and became very interested in growing my own poppies (for use in a hypothetical TEOTWAWKI situation ONLY!). I ordered a pack of the seeds. Where would you guys plant them? I am thinking the "hiding in plain sight" method and planting them in front of the new house in flower borders. From what I have read, the actual plant or seeds is not illegal to own and local law enforcement are so busy with the meth problem here they wouldnt know an opium poppy if it bit them on the butt. Also, flowers in the front "Gosh, officer, I just ordered some pretty flower seeds for the yard, I had no idea they were "that" kind of poppy", flowers hidden way in the back yard surrounded by brush and trees, um, not so hard to blow off and look innocent, ya know? (Hypothetically speaking of course) DH is a Pastor and getting in trouble for growing opium would not look good, ya know...
Also, from what I have researched, the active ingredients are not "active" unless the resin is extracted, tinctured etc. Sooooo, if a non-hypothetical two year old were to just reach up and take a bite out of one, no harm no foul, right? Yes, he would do this. Don't ask what happened to my stevia plant when he figured out those leaves tasted sweet when he chewed on them. (safety of non-hypothetical children is most important of course) Also, one last hypothetical question, I can grow these next to the culinary and medicinal herbs we use everyday, right, with no kind of transference?

7thswan · #2 04/12/11, 11:41 AM

Plant among with other flowers in the sun. There are alot of colors of Poppys, I dought very few people would know the diffrence.

bee · #3 04/12/11, 02:07 PM

FYI..you may not be able to grow them...they require cold to germinate. In fact the best way to germinate them is to scatter the seed on a prepared bed and have it snow on them. They need light to germinate also, so don't cover the seed. If you are thinking you will cold treat for germination and transplant..probibly not. They HATE being transplanted and most will die. You can however seed into a peatpot and once the plant has some size plant the entire thing with no root disturbance.

What the Gov will look for is green seed pods that have been cut to collect sap. If you just grow them and then harvest the seed for eating and the dried pods for decorating you should be alright unless they are illegal in your locale-- period.
I do think I remember seeing a method to extract some opium from the dried pods...now here did I see that?????( wink )

JuliaAnn · #4 04/12/11, 02:35 PM

In warmer climates, poppies must be sown during cool weather (fall or very late winter/early spring) and mature in warm weather. I plant mine in the fall, they overwinter here and bloom late spring (should be blooming soon). They do not transplant well, but peat pellets are ok. I have no fear of growing them, as I am not breaking the law in doing so.

ryanthomas · #5 04/12/11, 03:03 PM

Technically, if you're in the U.S. you are breaking the law if you knowingly grow papaver somniferum. The law is written very strangely. If you don't know what you're growing, it's OK. If you do, I think it's just as serious as actually manufacturing heroin. So look for poppy seeds that don't have the latin name or the word "opium" on them, but are not California poppies or Oriental poppies. Even then, having read this, you now know. But poppies are great self-seeders. Maybe you'll get lucky and have some volunteers pop up in your yard when you need them.

Michael Pollan wrote a really good article about the legal side back in the 90s. http://michaelpollan.com/articles-ar...ium-made-easy/

bee · #6 04/12/11, 03:21 PM

Ryan, isn't it odd that you can buy them from catalogs and on-line if they are illegal???

naturelover · #7 04/12/11, 04:40 PM

Quote:

local law enforcement are so busy with the meth problem here they wouldnt know an opium poppy if it bit them

If you have a problem with meth heads in your locality then it is the meth heads you would have to worry about. Meth heads constantly skulk around neighbourhoods looking for things to steal. If your poppies are in full view where they can see them you can be guaranteed the meth heads will recognize them and will be trespassing on your property at nights and ripping out whole plants once they have maturing pods on them.

You don't need to grow a lot of poppies to collect enough for an annual supply of medicine. 20 plants should be sufficient and that would be a small enough number of them you could create a little medicinal herbs and poppy garden out of public view in the back of your house. If you only have around 20 plants and the police did see them it's not enough to get into big trouble over since it's not enough for you to be trafficking them. It is very large plantations of them that the police would be concerned about.

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ryanthomas · #8 04/12/11, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bee

Ryan, isn't it odd that you can buy them from catalogs and on-line if they are illegal???

Yes, very odd. You can also buy the seeds at the grocery store for about $8 a pound. The seeds are legal in the U.S. but the plants are not.

naturelover · #9 04/12/11, 06:39 PM

Quote:

You can also buy the seeds at the grocery store for about $8 a pound.

The seeds sold as a food item in grocery stores and other food industries aren't fertile, they're usually irradiated or otherwise heat treated to prevent them from sprouting or going moldy. Same as are hemp seeds sold for the food industry.

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ldc · #10 04/12/11, 07:14 PM

Well, just don't eat those seeds on bread, pastry, or a bagel before a random drug test!!! That's the only was they can hurt a child - just as seeds - if somebody tests him in school. Lookout mom! ldc

ryanthomas · #11 04/12/11, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naturelover

The seeds sold as a food item in grocery stores and other food industries aren't fertile, they're usually irradiated or otherwise heat treated to prevent them from sprouting or going moldy. Same as are hemp seeds sold for the food industry.

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Unless they're Organic.

Pink_Carnation · #12 04/12/11, 09:08 PM

When I was growing up I remember a couple of times the police dept. had the opium ones growing in the flower bed in front and didn't know until someone pointed it out to them.

texican · #13 04/12/11, 10:15 PM

It is very common situation where you can legally buy something, but not legally possess it. Here in the state of Texas, you can legally buy drug paraphernalia over the counter... but, get pulled over by a local law enforcement officer, and have said paraphernalia in possession, and you're in 'trouble'... locals get arrested all the time around here for legally obtained but illegal to possess items.

Imho, if you have people that can walk up to and around your home, without consequences... you have serious problems, unrelated to opiate production.