Are opium poppys the same as Oriental poppys?
That’s hard to say. The only way to know is by comparing the scientific name (genus and species) to know for certain. I do know that there are several varieties of poppy plants and not all contain the significant levels of opium found in the opium poppy. The opium poppy is called “Papaver somniferum” and the garden variety Oriental poppy that I am familiar with is the “Papaver orientale”. The garden poppy does have some opiates in it, but not to a level to give you the effects of the opium poppy; kind of like hemp vs. marijuana.
