Planting 939 poppy plants as MSG? This is too "torture"!

Recently, in Zhuji, Shaoxing, the police found that a villager named Si often boasted that he had a "secret sauce" for cooking. It turned out that Si's so-called secret sauce was the 939 poppy plants he planted in his hometown. Si said that he only used poppy as MSG when cooking, not a large amount, but "I have been addicted to it for two years and I love the taste."

At present, criminal coercive measures have been taken against Si.

Everyone knows that opium poppy is a famous drug plant. But it should be noted that even if you just want to plant it for viewing, it is not allowed!

Don't get addicted, and don't grow it for fun

Poppy (Papaver somnifera) is native to the Mediterranean coast and has been cultivated by people since a long time ago. According to the results of archaeological surveys, there is evidence of poppy domestication as early as 7,000 years ago.

Botanical drawing of a poppy | Wikimedia Commons

Poppy is an annual herb with a relatively sturdy plant that can be up to one meter high. Its leaves are closely attached to the stem and have irregular serrations on the edges.

The flowers open at the top and droop when they are buds. The petals and stamens are covered by two sepals. When they bloom, the sepals fall off immediately, revealing four bright petals. Because people have cultivated many varieties over the years, the colors of poppies are also diverse, including pink, red, white, etc., with red being the main color.

Poppy flowering period | Liu Bing

The fruit of the poppy is ellipsoidal, with some protrusions on the top left by the style. The milky juice that flows out of the immature fruit can be cut and made into opium. In ancient times, poppy was used to treat asthma, stomach problems, etc. In modern times, the harm of opium and its various extracts has gradually been discovered. If the poppy fruit is left to mature, the poppy seeds in it can be eaten, and can also be pressed into poppy seed oil, which is legally produced and consumed in some European countries.

Since various extracts of opium are both drugs and medicines, many countries have strict laws to restrict poppy cultivation. This is also true in my country. Any unauthorized cultivation of poppies is illegal. In some European countries, poppy cultivation and poppy seed production are still allowed, but in China, they are almost completely banned.

Some people may have heard such a folk rumor: it is not illegal to plant less than 50 poppy plants (some say 500 poppy plants) without permission. In fact, it is not the case. According to Article 71 of the "Public Security Administration Punishment Law", planting less than 500 poppy plants without permission is illegal and can be punished by detention for up to 15 days and a fine of 3,000 yuan.

A poppy fruit cut open and oozing juice | Laughlin Elkind / Wikimedia Commons

So, readers, if you get poppy seeds through some channels and want to grow them for fun, please give up this idea as soon as possible! If someone goes further and further down the road of committing suicide, like Si in the news who planted more than 500 poppy plants, he will violate Article 351 of the Criminal Law and will be sentenced to several years in prison. If you want to spend the rest of your life in prison, come and try it. If you have already planted poppies illegally, there is another remedy, which is to eradicate and destroy them yourself before the fruits mature, so that you can avoid punishment.

Go to the Botanical Gardens and see the poppies!

Someone may ask, poppies cannot be planted privately, but I want to see what they look like, whether they bloom beautifully, and what shape the fruits are. Is there any way? The answer is yes (advertising time below)!

In my country, some scientific research institutions, botanical gardens, medicinal gardens or enterprises can legally grow poppies with the permission of the public security organs. For example, the National Botanical Garden (South Garden) at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain, which was formerly the Beijing Botanical Garden of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Every spring, it cooperates with the public security department and the Haidian District Anti-Drug Committee to hold a "Live Poppy Anti-Drug Exhibition" open to the public. This year's exhibition started on April 25 and lasted until May 31. In addition, Wuhan Botanical Garden also grows poppies.

Poppies planted in cages in Wuhan Botanical Garden｜@一尾蓝鲤

There are also some companies that can grow poppies and produce and sell poppy seed oil under license. The drug content in it is very low and will not make people addicted. However, the sale of poppy seeds before oil extraction is prohibited in order to prevent private dissemination and cultivation.

At the "Live Poppy Anti-drug Exhibition", you can see live opium poppies and other drug plants, such as Ephedra spp. (containing ephedrine, which can be used to extract methamphetamine), Cannabis sativa, and related species of the same family or genus as opium poppy, such as Papaver rhoeas, P. orientale, and Eschscholzia californica. There are also many display boards introducing related drug plants and the history of the Opium War.

Tourists taking photos among the California poppies or corn poppies | Liu Bing

The poppies here are strictly protected, surrounded by a fence, equipped with surveillance cameras and patrolling security. Of course, this does not affect your close contact with the poppies, admiring its beautiful flowers and huge fruits, and observation or taking pictures are allowed.

The heavily protected poppy | Liu Bing

After the opium poppy fruit matures, if the seeds and the top protrusions are removed and then dried, the poppy shell can be made. There is also a folk rumor that many restaurants add poppy shells to soups and hot pots, which makes people feel particularly delicious and addictive. According to the investigation, there are indeed businesses that do this, and such illegal businesses should be punished by law.

But in fact, most businesses will not and dare not do so. If you fish out a brown, nearly spherical "poppy shell" while eating hot pot, it is most likely a commonly used spice plant - Lanxangia tsaoko of the ginger family. Tsaoko is widely cultivated in tropical areas in southern my country, and its fruit is used as a seasoning.

Amomum villosum and its structure | hkbu.edu.hk

Amomum villosum plant and fresh fruit | Liu Bing

If you look at the real poppy shells, the difference between the two is quite big. However, if you find that the merchant is really using poppy shells, you should report it immediately.

Ripe poppy fruits and poppy seeds | keith ellwood / Wikimedia Commons

Well, after all this nonsense, friends who want to see live opium poppy plants are welcome to visit the National Botanical Garden (South Garden) to visit the drug plant exhibition. If you are not in Beijing, you can also ask the local botanical gardens and herb gardens whether they hold anti-drug education activities with live opium poppy exhibitions?

Author:ArtemisiaLiu

This article comes from the Species Calendar, welcome to forward

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