U.S. authorities bust opium poppy farm in Washington state

Reuters ^ | 7/12/2013

[markomalley]

Federal agents raided a large opium poppy-growing operation in Washington state that was cultivating the plants across 40 acres, authorities said on Thursday.

The poppy plants were grown out in the open and the seed pods, which contain codeine and morphine and can be used to make heroin, had been sold in large quantities throughout the country, Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim said.

Large-scale growing operations of opium poppies in the United States are "very rare," said Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Dawn Dearden, who could not recall a similar case in her four years with the agency.

[nathanbedford]

U.S. authorities bust opium poppy farm in Washington state

… And in doing so succeeded only in driving up the price and enriching the Taliban of Afghanistan.

[knarf]

"This is not the couple's first brush with the law. Last October, they were arrested and released without charge after a 10-month investigation into their poppy growing business carried out by a joint federal and local drug task force.

Apparently growing a child's garden of poppy's, getting arrested (apparently for no reason because they were .. ) released ... constitutes a "brush with the law"

Really, this comes under the category of; "We don't like the way you pick your nose"

[Born to Conserve]

The proper way to produce opium involves a bleeding process and gathering the dried sap from the wounds. Just picking the pods would be a waste of time for druggies. I think these pods were being grown for the seeds, you know, for bagels and muffins?

The DEA is run by idiots.

[RadiationRomeo]

There are special varieties of poppies grown for poppy seeds which don’t contain heroin. But I also don’t think it is illegal to grow opium poppies in your flower garden, just like it’s OK to grow jimpson weed and castor beans. (I grow 2 of the 3 myself)

[Pecos]

A quick check of the buyers' identities to see if they were bakeries or head shops would seem to clear up that confusion. But you are right. Anyone old enough to have seen The French Connection understands the process of obtaining opium.

[bmwcyle]

That is transported and guard by our troops.