Do Oriental poppies produce opium?
• Clyde Robin. If I had a dollar every time I have been asked this question . . . .! Well needless to say, the Oriental poppy is not the same as the Opium poppy. They are greatly different even though they both originated in the Mediterranean region. The Oriental poppy is a perennial (it comes up automatically each year), whereas the Opium poppy is an annual (it must be planted each year). The Oriental poppy has no narcotic properties and may be grown anywhere, and cultivation of the opium poppy is strictly controlled in the United States as well as in many other countries.
