opium poppy
nounDefinition of opium poppy
: an annual Eurasian poppy (Papaver somniferum) cultivated since antiquity as the source of opium, for its edible oily seeds, or for its showy flowers
Examples of opium poppy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So the health care conglomerate, better known for baby shampoo and Band-Aids, bought a business that grew and processed opium poppies in faraway Tasmania, off the coast of Australia. — Katie Thomas, New York Times, "Johnson & Johnson’s Brand Falters Over Its Role in the Opioid Crisis," 27 Aug. 2019 One was Tasmanian Alkaloids, which grew opium poppies in Tasmania and anticipated demand for opioids in the mid-1990s by developing a high-opiate variety of the plant. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Johnson & Johnson got hit for a $572-million opioid verdict. Why did its stock go up?," 27 Aug. 2019 In what may be the largest opium bust in California history, Monterey County sheriff’s investigators seized more than 34,000 pounds of opium poppies around the county. — Sophie Haigney, San Francisco Chronicle, "34,000 pounds of opium poppies seized in Monterey County," 3 June 2018 Javed’s unit arrested traffickers, raided drug labs, and set fire to fields of mauve opium poppies. — Matthew Wolfe, Harper's magazine, "Without a Trace," 10 Feb. 2019 In 2010, the U.S. pumped millions of dollars into programs meant to encourage farmers growing opium poppies to grow things like pomegranates. — Dion Nissenbaum, WSJ, "In Kandahar, U.S. Troops Remain, Even if Salsa Night Is Gone," 9 Aug. 2018 The bloodiest states last year were the central State of Mexico with 3,046 murders, and southern Guerrero state, at the heart of the country’s opium poppy wars, with 2,578. — Anthony Harrup, WSJ, "Mexico’s Murder Rate Hits Highest Level in Decades," 30 July 2018 The battle for political control in Chilapa and elsewhere in the state has become more vicious amid a plunge in the price of the opium poppy, which has forced gangs to diversify their criminal activities beyond drug trafficking, officials said. — New York Times, "Criminal Groups Seek to Decide Outcome in Many Mexican Races," 1 July 2018 Analysts say about 80 percent of Helmand — prized for its vast opium poppy fields — has been under Taliban control since 2004, though urban centers had remained under government control. — Washington Post, "Peace in Afghanistan more elusive as Taliban shrug off talks," 11 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'opium poppy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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