Categories

Addiction: There are 8 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: March 11, 2006

The dangers of rapid-detox drug treatment

The Ontario Coroner's Office is investigating a second death connected to a chain of drug treatment clinics that offer a a highly controversial treatment that has divided addiction experts. So-called "rapid detox" treatment uses a cocktail of medications to speed through the withdrawl process while the patient remains under sedation. As part of the procedure, the patient is implanted with a pellet of the opate antagonist Naltrexone to prevent them from having intense cravings or obtaining any "high" from opiates once the treatment is complete.

Continue reading "The dangers of rapid-detox drug treatment" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 01:18 AM | Permalink

Afghanistan: There are 16 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: April 06, 2006

Getting to the root of the poppy trade

Afghan farmers of poppies find themselves caught between the devil and the deep sea. With poverty rife in the war-torn nation, it’s difficult to resist the lure of easy money from cultivating opium poppies, despite international efforts to curb the poppy trade.

Hat tip: DrugSpot

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 07:39 PM | Permalink

Announcements: There are 53 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: April 04, 2006

Somni-Forum Registration Closing April 8

A warm welcome to everyone who joined up during our latest round of open registration at the Papaver Somni-Forum. The open registration period is now coming to a close. The poppies.org forum will re-open to new user accounts some time within the next quarter.

If you haven't signed up for a somni-forum account yet, it's not too late. You still have until the end of April 8th to join in. Registration is free, and allows you to participate in the discussions and maybe make a few friends while you're at it too. :)

Registration at the Papaver Somni-Forum will be closing on April 8th at 11:59pm EST.

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 08:55 AM | Permalink

Botany: There are 11 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: July 13, 2001

Effects of Maturity and Plant Spacing

This article investigates the effects that plant spacing and pod maturity have on the alkaloid content of Opium Poppies. Two varieties of opium poppy were grown under irrigation for one season, and their capsules analysed for morphine content by gas chromatography. The results may surprise you.

Continue reading "Effects of Maturity and Plant Spacing" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 07:31 AM | Permalink

Chemistry: There are 13 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: January 15, 2003

Golden Triangle Opium Cultivation and Processing

A comprehensive article from the DEA archives exploring (in great detail) the entire process of black-market opium production in the Golden Triangle area of Southeast Asia. Covers everything from an historical primer and good geographical information on the triangle, all the way to opium cooking techniques and the conversion process used to turn the raw opium into morphine, and eventually heroin for the street. Packed full of information and with a full glossary, it makes for one helluva read.

Continue reading "Golden Triangle Opium Cultivation and Processing" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 07:36 PM | Permalink

Golden Triangle: There are 7 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: March 07, 2006

The new colour of the Golden Triangle

With crop densities much lower in Laos and Thailand than in Afghanistan, crop-substitution programs have proved to be far more effective in this area for lowering opium poppy cultivation. Nowadays you're more likely to find small plantations of tea, peach trees and even asparagus springing up in the heart of the "Golden Triangle" than fields of poppies. With Laos declaring itself Poppy-Free in february, this now leaves military-ruled Myanmar (aka Burma) as the single active opium producer in the region.

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 07:38 AM | Permalink

Growing: There are 5 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: March 03, 2006

Breadseed poppies: art, architecture and confusion

The San Francisco Chronical has a fantastic beginners tutorial on growing Breadseed Poppies (aka Opium Poppies) -- but while the article presents lots of useful information, its casual tone highlights the confusion over the legal status of Papaver Somniferum in the USA.



These plants are showstoppers. Passers-by routinely gawk at mine when they're in full bloom, the tallest at their eye level. With their impressive variety, spectacular blooms and strange seed pods, breadseed poppies are one of the easiest ways to add a bit of architecture and a lot of dazzle to your garden.


Let's just hope none of those passers-by are DEA agents. This wishy-washy nomenclature just further serves to cloud the issue and allow for selective persecution by the authorities. After all, these flowers are everywhere -- yet their legal status only ever becomes an issue when troublemakers happen to have a few in their garden.

So go ahead and plant your opium poppy seeds -- as long as you keep your nose clean and call your plants "Breadseed Poppies" you've got yourself a garden showpiece! If only it was that simple.

Continue reading "Breadseed poppies: art, architecture and confusion" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 07:33 AM | Permalink

Law: There are 13 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: March 03, 2006

Breadseed poppies: art, architecture and confusion

The San Francisco Chronical has a fantastic beginners tutorial on growing Breadseed Poppies (aka Opium Poppies) -- but while the article presents lots of useful information, its casual tone highlights the confusion over the legal status of Papaver Somniferum in the USA.



These plants are showstoppers. Passers-by routinely gawk at mine when they're in full bloom, the tallest at their eye level. With their impressive variety, spectacular blooms and strange seed pods, breadseed poppies are one of the easiest ways to add a bit of architecture and a lot of dazzle to your garden.


Let's just hope none of those passers-by are DEA agents. This wishy-washy nomenclature just further serves to cloud the issue and allow for selective persecution by the authorities. After all, these flowers are everywhere -- yet their legal status only ever becomes an issue when troublemakers happen to have a few in their garden.

So go ahead and plant your opium poppy seeds -- as long as you keep your nose clean and call your plants "Breadseed Poppies" you've got yourself a garden showpiece! If only it was that simple.

Continue reading "Breadseed poppies: art, architecture and confusion" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 07:33 AM | Permalink

News: There are 84 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: April 07, 2006

Settlement in abusive Goose Creek school raid

DrugWarRant reports that a settlement has been reached in the disgusting Goose Creek high school drug raid fiasco. The students will split a $1.2 million settlement, stemming from a racially suspect "random" drug search of the school with guns drawn and police dogs to terrorize search the students. The video of the raid pretty much speaks for itself.

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 09:07 AM | Permalink

Opinion: There are 5 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: March 18, 2006

Mainstream picks up on poppy legitimization scheme

Back in February I posted about a viable alternative to erradication in the Afghan opium war -- embracing the opium poppy as a legitimate resource. Parisian security and policy think-tank Senlis Council issued a report on this issue last month that strongly supports this position.

Well, it looks like the idea is finally gaining a bit of momentum in the mainstream press, with articles and commentary appearing in the Toronto Star and on the AFP Wire.

Continue reading "Mainstream picks up on poppy legitimization scheme" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 10:05 AM | Permalink

Other: There are 11 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: February 23, 2006

The ‘Opium War’ that Wasn’t

Interesting article over at the Harvard Crimson by a professor who is going to be giving a talk on the Opium War on Friday.

One hundred and sixty-six years ago this week, Lord Palmerston, the great British Foreign Secretary, sent a letter to the Imperial Chinese government that paved the way for the 1840-42 Anglo-Chinese conflict, the “Opium War.” It’s a brilliantly snappy name that sneakily prejudges the issue: The world is now convinced that the war was a case of commercial and imperialist British greed trying to force opium on the Chinese.

The world is wrong.

If his talk is a provocative as his premise, it should certainly be an interesting time for anyone interested in the roots of contemporary drug policy and the geopolitics of illicit trade.

Professor Harry Gelber is a Visiting Scholar at the Center for European Studies. He will be giving a talk on the “Opium War” at the Center for European Studies at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, February 24th.

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 08:06 AM | Permalink

Politics and Policy: There are 10 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: April 07, 2006

US Considering Bio-Warfare on Poppies

The Drug Policy Alliance has started a letter campaign against a plan currently under consideration in the US Senate that basically amounts to launching a biological warfare attack against countries such as Columbia and Afghanistan.

Mycoherbicides have already been extensively studied over the last thirty years - and the results make it clear that they are not an option for controlling crops of coca or opium poppies. They attack indiscriminately, destroying fruit and vegetable crops, causing open sores and feminization in reptiles and other animals, and sickening humans as well. The toxins mycoherbicides produce contaminate soil for years, so that nothing can grow where they have been. Mycoherbicides are so destructive that governments have even stockpiled them as weapons...

Sounds real pleasant.

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 09:16 AM | Permalink

Reviews: There are 1 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: October 28, 2000

Book Review: Opium Empire

Poppies.org is graced with our first Book Review! Somnibus provides us with an in-depth review Carl H. Trocki's intriguing tome about the historical impact of Opium and the Poppy on the Global Political Economy.

Continue reading "Book Review: Opium Empire" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 01:54 PM | Permalink

Usage: There are 5 articles in this category.

Latest Entry: July 28, 2001

Poppy Straw and International Narcotics Control

This 1961 article from the UN provides both some interesting insight into the conceptions government and WoD leaders have about the potential of poppy straw as an illicit substance, and some excellent technical information regarding alkaloid content and extraction techniques.

Continue reading "Poppy Straw and International Narcotics Control" »

Posted by Ayatollah Jones at 12:45 AM | Permalink

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