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Colol" Some say the color of a poppy's bloom reveals the presence or strength of the flower's opium. It does not but the legend persists. " Lots of opium poppies are red but they can also be white, blue, pink, purple or shades in between. The color of the petals makes no difference in the opium. " Soil, T empel"urtul"e, Climcd:e Poppies can grow in almost any soil and even do well in slightly sandy or rocky places. Generally, poppies do well in loose, loamy soil and don't grow easily in clay or other dense soils.

The process is repeated until the Jpium has been collected into kilo-sized balls or cakes. It's not necessary to allow the opium to dry before collection. In fact, it may be easier to collect before it dries, as the opium is much more fluid before evaporation. The opium as it comes from the plant is also immediately ready to smoke or eat. In fact, you can just lick the opium off the pod right there in the field. By slicing (wounding) alternate sides of the plant, a poppy can be induced to make more opium, thus letting you milk it for two or three harvests before leaving it alone.

Oblivious to their own wretchedness, they see themselves as great statesmen, scientists and physicians whose own use of opium is enlightened. Yet they consider fellow addicts grotesque monsters - even devils - whose use of opium is worse than demonic. This kind of schizophrenia leads inexorably to mayhem. When his supply is threatened (or when his habit requires even larger doses of money) an opium-money junkie can become violent. That's when these menaces become true threats to the community, for Opium for the Masses 92 Chapter Thirteen: Poppy Politics - they don't confine their battles among themselves.