That's what I heard, that it's not illegal to possess seeds or plants as long as your intent is to just have pretty flowers. 'Milking' them will get you in trouble. And you can buy opium poppy seeds in the US, seen them in some herbal plant/seed catalogs.
As far as we know in California it is illegal to grow the type of poppy which can be harvested for drug use. Dear friends of our use to grow them for ornamental flowers for the farmers market. Their commercial seed supplier was contacted by the government, who then got theri customer list and then the "inspector" drove to my friend's farm and confiscated the remaining unplanted seed, and the poppy starts. This type of poppy does have beautiful flowers. I t did not matter what the intent was of my friend's. They did not get a ticket or arrested, just a stern warning and a letter explaining the law. This happened in about 1994 in Siskiyou county California.
Except that farms which harvest poppy seed used in baking are also growing the 'evil' papaver somniferum opium producing poppies, as well. The inspector used the premise that poppy seed is a precursor to opium production as a premise to confiscate that seed - despite those same plants being grown for seed production. As always, it is intent that determines whether a crime has been committed. And as we've seen over and over again, agents of the government will overstep their authority until they are met with people insisting on their rights.
Many, many years ago a person I am very close to grew some opium poppies, scored the pods after the flowers dropped off, and put the resultant goo in a cigarette with tobacco. He smoked it and had the most vivid dreams imaginable.
Yeah my mother told me last night after I mentioned poppies that in California it is illegal. So I'm guessing it depends on the state, Oregon doesn't have a problem apparently, since at least one of the nurseries here sells the seeds. And we lived in Mt. Shasta from 1985-199...was either 1993 or 1994. Loved being able to pick lots and lots of blackberries in the summer on Old Stage Road.
They are perennials and we have a nice patch over our septic tank. They come up every year and are beautiful flowers
They grew all over the hell hole that is afghanistan, saw absolutely tons of this and pot, so they have to be easy to grow.
