The cultivation and harvest of opium poppies is illegal in Germany
The opium poppy in particular - but also other types of poppy - contain strong opiates, which is why the plant has long been used to produce opiates such as morphine, opium or heroin. While the harvest of poppy seeds for medicinal purposes (morphine) or to obtain the seeds as a baking ingredient is permitted for certain companies and institutions, which is subject to approval, the same is prohibited for private individuals. Only private individuals who want to grow opium poppies as an ornamental plant are allowed to do so - but only with a corresponding approval from the Federal Opium Agency. Information circulating again and again such as “the extension of 10 square meters is always allowed” belong in the realm of fairy tales, because anyone who wants to sow opium poppies must always have this approved.
also read
- Opium poppy - most varieties banned in Germany
- Opium poppies in the garden - are there legal alternatives?
- Growing opium poppies is illegal
Extraction of raw opium
Opium played an important role in Chinese history in particular and was a widely consumed drug for a long time. Even today, the substance is extracted from the milky sap of the opium poppy and serves as the starting point for medicinally used opiates, but also for opium and heroin. The extraction of raw opium is a very complex matter, in which the still immature seed capsule is scratched several times two to three weeks after flowering. The milky juice that emerges is scraped off the capsule the next morning and is slightly dried and then processed further. The content of opiates fluctuates very strongly and is primarily dependent on the intensity of solar radiation, but also on other weather influences and the quality of the soil.
Extraction of poppy seeds
Opium poppy seeds, which are legally sold as blue or baked poppy seeds in supermarkets etc., contain little or no opiates, as the seeds are thoroughly cleaned before they are packaged and sold. The production of an intoxicating tea from the opium poppy seeds is no longer possible.
Tips
If you want to cultivate poppy plants in your garden, you only need to leave a few plants in the autumn - poppies usually sow themselves very reliably.
