Opium field

[wildherbalian85]

Stumbled onto this field today and thought i had teleported to Afghanistan

Any idea as to why there is this massive and very deliberate crop of white opium poppies. The field was at least the size of 10 football pitches - maybe even bigger.

Just a couple of snaps - i couldn't fit the whole field in one frame or even two.







I also have a video clip but i will add that later.

[mrs fish]

I would of thought if it was growing for medical use that it would be very well fenced off/protected

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by mrs fish

I would of thought if it was growing for medical use that it would be very well fenced off/protected

Well if it was for medical use then they have an awful lot of "tapping" to do

My two thoughts were either: For the opium or for the seeds.

Im curious but don't they make an oil from poppy seed??

[wildherbalian85]

not brilliant video i know but....

all that white is the flowering poppies and it stretched for at least half a KM


YouTube - opium field

[Pete Collins]

I came across a similar field in South Oxfordshire a couple of weeks ago. I did a search on the internet and found that a company had been licensed to grow Opium Poppies for medicinal purposes, somewhere near Didcot. The field I saw wasn't too far from Didcot, so I assumed it was the same company.

I came across a single Opium Poppy here in South Beds yesterday. I've posted the photo already on another thread, but here it is again:

[zail]

Errmm, am I missing something here? If there is a world wide shortage of morphine (this is what the articles I googled after I read this said) and we are now growing opium poppies here why can the farmers in afganistan be encouraged to sell their crop through legitimate routes on the world markets and not produce for the illegal trade? After all, very few other crops can be grown in the himalayas.....

Would it come down to politics by any chance or is that too cynical a response?

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by Pete Collins

I came across a similar field in South Oxfordshire a couple of weeks ago. I did a search on the internet and found that a company had been licensed to grow Opium Poppies for medicinal purposes, somewhere near Didcot. The field I saw wasn't too far from Didcot, so I assumed it was the same company.

I came across a single Opium Poppy here in South Beds yesterday. I've posted the photo already on another thread, but here it is again:

Interesting. I know that opium poppies are often grown for ornamental purposes in gardens and that they are also a common plant of disturbed ground infact they tend to pop up just about everywere even between the cracks in pavements.

Surely though if it was for medical purposes then it would have been sealed off??

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by zail

Errmm, am I missing something here? If there is a world wide shortage of morphine and we are now growing opium poppies here why can the farmers in Afghanistan be encouraged to sell their crop through legitimate routes on the world markets and not produce for the illegal trade? After all, very few other crops can be grown in the himalayas.....

Would it come down to politics by any chance or is that too cynical a response?

Firstly the Himalayas are not in Afghanistan - also the Himalayas is renowned for forests of cannabis sativa.

With regards to buying it from the Afghani's i think it is mainly down to ethics... money from opium fields funds the terrorist's. We used to get our opium from southeast Asia but most is now grown in Europe (cheaper, easier).

[Pete Collins]

Originally Posted by wildherbalian85

...
Surely though if it was for medical purposes then it would have been sealed off??

No, surprisingly, it wasn't. There were bridleways along the edges of woods on two sides of the field, and no fence between the wood and the field at all.

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by Pete Collins

No, surprisingly, it wasn't. There were bridleways along the edges of woods on two sides of the field, and no fence between the wood and the field at all.

But to abstract the opium the poppies need to be tapped (milked) whilst still growing so as to allow maximum yield of the crude opium - this then must harvested. The problem with an open field is that anybody could come along and help themselfs to the crude opium because they should be left to milk for a two or three days... its all daft if you ask me.