# Opium poppies on Ebay?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opium-poppies-on-ebay/499190>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 9, 2009, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opium-poppies-on-ebay/499190 "2009-06-09T06:13:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opium-poppies-on-ebay/499190/21 "2009-06-11T02:49:57Z")

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> [@aldiboronti](#):
>
> I must have missed something here. How is this spam?
> 
> Or am I being whooshed?

There was spam, but a mod god disappeared it 🙂

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**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opium-poppies-on-ebay/499190/22 "2009-06-11T02:56:06Z")

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> [@Olentzero](#):
>
> [Cecil speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1112/will-poppy-seed-bagels-cause-you-to-fail-a-drug-test) (and mentions Michael Pollan).

> [@Cecil](#):
>
> In the U.S. possession of opium poppies with intent to grow more is a crime. But possession of opium poppy seed is perfectly legal–in fact, you can (or could) buy opium poppy seeds from gardening catalogs. (But God help you if you try to grow anything with them–see Michael Pollan’s scary article on this subject in the April 1997 Harper’s).

This conflicts with what beowulf said and with apparent reality. Cecil seems to be wrong?

> [@PetW](#):
>
> I still don’t see how it can be legal. It seems pretty clear that opium is a controlled substance. If the poppy pods can make you high, I’m assuming it can only be from opium. Therefore, the pods must be illegal.  
> Could Ebay just be this stupid? Or are people just getting high off a placebo/ritual magic effect?

It’s not just ebay. The cops aren’t busting these people either. They get thousands of feedback (and I’ll bet only a small fraction of users actually leaves feedback… since that exposes your username), and have been for years. And no, it’s not a placebo effect at all (judging from simple googling).

> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#):
>
> There was spam, but a mod god disappeared it 🙂

Ohhh. Sorry.

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**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opium-poppies-on-ebay/499190/23 "2009-06-11T03:02:19Z")

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> [@Cecil](#):
>
> Still, if you’re desperate enough there are ways to get a buzz from poppies. In parts of England prior to World War II, tea made from boiled poppy heads was recommended as a way to cure what ails you, or at least not get overly concerned about it. Poppy tea has come back into favor among UK drug users in recent years, and some people have reportedly become addicted to the stuff. One guy boiled 14 poppy heads daily, which he obtained from florists. Another addict was a baker who each day drank two liters of tea made from four kilograms of poppy seed. His secret was discovered when he went into convulsions.

Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about. (Btw, 14 poppy heads is about $10 at auction.) Seems the article could use some updating. (Or maybe not, to keep the secrets hidden.)

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