|
|
Article: Farmers growing opium poppies to help with medicines.
- Article from:
- Market Rasen Mail (Market Rasen, England)
- Article date:
- July 16, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Johnston Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
FARMERS in the area are cropping opium poppies - to help drug companies meet the acute shortage of morphine.
The unmistakable lilac shade of the opium poppy can be seen growing in fields around some local villages and is expected to become an even more common sight as production needs to be stepped up.
"We are growing opium poppies in the area and are trying to increase the amount," said a spokesman for Macfarlan Smith, the Edinburgh-based pharmaceutical company which turns the harvested seed pods into powerful painkilling drugs like morphine and codeine.
"It is an important crop for us as it provides the basic material for our production and we ...