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Legality of growing opium poppies. (Was: Re: Poppies (p.somniferum?))

Postings have been contradictory on the legality of growing opium poppies
in the US. A number of US seed companies list varieties of Papaver
somniferum, so I emailed Burpee to ask their opinion. They said:

>It is apparently illegal to grow the plants although not to posess the seed
>which is actually quite widely available from many legitimate seed houses.
>>However,  I am not qualified to and would not like to offer legal advice
>or make >a guess as to what your local government officials would or would
>not do
> if you grew them in your garden.

Only moderately helpful.

They also pointed me to this story from US News:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/970317/17popp.htm

This too fails to resolve the question fully as although the DEA has put
pressure on some seed companies to remove Papaver somniferum from their
lists, there is legislation from 1942 which seems specifically to allow
gardeners to grow it.

Any more evidence, one way or another?

Graham Rice
Northamptonshire. UK
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