"The legalities of Papaver sp. [opium poppy] cultivation depends entirely on the law in the state AND region where you live. If you live in a city, you might want to check with your local council, who will usually have a list of banned and/or noxious weeds on file. You could try requesting a list, saying, for example, that you intend to set up a herb garden and want to grow St John's wort (which is a noxious weed in many places) and would they mind sending you a list? If you're in a rural area, try one of those Lands/Agriculture department type government agencies for a similar list. Then ring your local council. Laws governing the cultivation of plants operate at many levels - down to local. Most Papaver species are legal to grow: some are NOT and are listed merely as weeds, which means that you _must_ take steps to eradicate them on your property and must not _cultivate_ them. In some instances their prescence on your property is not a problem PROVIDING that you are not cultivating them directly (ie they are classes as weeds), but not noxious weeds. P. somniferum is most likely to be problematic, but other Papaver spp may also cause legal problems depending on the paranoia of your government agencies." [source http://opioids.com/opium/faq.html] "Opium poppies are specifically scheduled under U.S. Law. The Controlled Substances Act, Schedule II, lists "Opium poppy and poppy straw" as well as .The law Poppies are specifically scheduled (under 'Mescaline' in the Federal Listing) as "Concentrate of poppy straw (the crude extract of poppy straw in either liquid, solid or powder form which contains the phenanthrene alkaloids of the opium poppy)". There is some confusion in the law, however, because opium-producing poppies are widely grown around the US and Canada and the opium poppy seeds are omnipresent in cooking, breads, and deserts. The grey-blue poppy seeds sold in virtually every grocery store in the US contain low levels of opiates (not psychoactive levels). Poppy pods are widely used in dry flower arrangements. Law enforcement in the US is somewhat schizophrenic about these plants, although there are continual attempts to try to stop them from being sold or grown. If poppies are grown as sources for opiates, there is no question that it violates the CSA. If poppies are purely grown for ornamental purposes, their legal position is somewhat less clear cut, since they are so widely grown and available. Opium for legal commercial pharmaceutical use is grown with special government licenses around the world, although very little of it is grown inside the US. Large scale underground opium poppy growing is reported to take place in Mexico, Afghanistan, and many other countries in Asia. Much of the produced opium is converted into heroin because it is easier to ship and commands a higher price than raw opium." [source http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy_law.shtml]

Yes. The CIA is the prime grower here in the USA. LOL My 2 cents.