"Blown by the Wind and Grown"... Opium Poppy Cultivation, No Excuses Accepted

Even Without Consumption or Distribution, Just One Week of Cultivation Makes You a Criminal
Elderly Caught Growing It Hoping for Anti-Cancer and Pain Relief Effects
"Self-Grown" Defense Fails... "Report to Police if Found"

Cases of being caught cultivating opium poppies for drug use are increasing. Even cultivating opium poppies for just one week can result in a criminal record, so caution is necessary.

“Because of stomach pain,” “To wrap with meat” ? Cultivating them still leads to punishment

700 opium poppy plants found in a residential garden in Seongcheon-ri, Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province last June.
[Photo by Gangwon Goseong Police Station·Yonhap News]

Last June, a large quantity of poppies was discovered in a garden in a residential area of Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province. The police collected about 700 poppy plants from the site.

According to the chemical analysis by the National Forensic Service (NFS), the poppies were confirmed to be drug-use opium poppies, not ornamental poppies. An 80-year-old resident, Mr. A, who was cultivating the poppies in the garden, was handed over to the prosecution earlier this month as a suspect for violating the Narcotics Control Act.

In June, poppies were also found near two houses close to an elementary school in Chuncheon.

The elderly individuals in their 80s who were cultivating the poppies reportedly stated during police investigations that they "grew them to wrap with meat" and "cultivated them for treating stomach pain."

Cases of being punished for cultivating drug-use opium poppies instead of ornamental ones, due to their leaves and seeds having anticancer and pain-relieving effects, are continuing.

In particular, it is known that many elderly people secretly cultivate and consume poppies in gardens to treat age-related diseases such as neuralgia, stomach pain, and insomnia, instead of seeking hospital treatment, and are caught.

However, opium poppies have strong addictive properties and can cause serious side effects such as hallucinations and central nervous system paralysis.

They are also used as raw materials for opium and heroin, and unauthorized cultivation can result in imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

Even cultivating for just one week without consumption or distribution can lead to punishment.

Ornamental and drug-use poppies can be visually distinguished... Report if confused even if they grow by wind

Opium poppies seized by the Korea Coast Guard on the 7th.
[Photo by Korea Coast Guard]

Ornamental poppies have short hairs overall compared to the stem, and their fruit is small and acorn-shaped. The flowers are red with black spots. In contrast, drug-use poppies have smooth stems without fine hairs, and their fruit is round and large.

Since ornamental and drug-use poppies can be distinguished by appearance, many cases are recognized as having at least constructive intent, so caution is required.

In June 2021, Mr. B, who was cultivating 280 drug-use poppies in a flower bed in front of a house in Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, claimed, "The naturally growing poppies were pretty, so I just left them," and "I did not cultivate them intentionally," but the court dismissed this.

The court sentenced Mr. B to a fine of 1 million won, citing the distinct visual characteristics of the two types of poppies, and that if he at least knew they were poppies, he should have checked whether they were drug-use poppies but left them to grow, which shows at least constructive intent.

Meanwhile, the Korea Coast Guard announced on the 7th that it arrested a total of 311 people during intensive crackdowns on illegal cultivation of marijuana and poppies from April to July.

The Coast Guard seized 16,955 poppy plants from those caught. This is about twice the amount seized last year, which was 8,157 poppy plants.

A police official emphasized, "Poppies are plants prohibited from unauthorized cultivation, use, and seed possession under the Narcotics Control Act," and urged, "If you discover illegally cultivated or naturally growing poppies, please report immediately to 112."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.