Opium for the Masses: A Practical Guide to Growing Poppies and Making Opium

by Jim Hogshire

Opium Drugs Culture studies Drug policy Poppy

Genres: Nonfiction, Drugs, Health, Plants, Medicine

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Lencho Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The most addictive thing about opium is the money it can generate"

I came to this book by Michel Pollan's "This is your brain on plants", where he describes his experiments with opium and the legal blurriness around (seeds can be found in your supermarket)

This book is more like your friend telling you why organic plants are different than other drugs and I have to say it is really convincing. From ancient China to Victorian era, Hogshire describes a plant that is not only inoffensive but was a turning point in medical sciences. He also explains why is it very counterproductive to make it illegal and send unagressive "criminals" to prision.

Worth reading!

[كيكه الوزير · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to put 'This Is Your Mind on Plants' by Michael Pollan down for a second to read through this. I skipped past the recipes. Brilliant, eye opening and well written in a conversational style way. Really blows my mind. I eat poppy seeds all the time, never have thought about it. It's a part of my culture, we put them in and on everything. And everyone I know with a garden grows poppy's, they are beautiful and lack any strong smell so they don't compete in a garden with other more smelly flowers. They are also easy to grow and easy to maintain. Dried, they make beautiful arrangements for the dinner table. This all, I think most people experience and understand. But what really opened my mind up was the lack of evidence for making opium growing illegal. Like the book mentions, I believed my whole life in the mythological heroin addict who let's their life slip from their grasp. Two of my cousins died from heroin overdoses when their prescription of pain meds ran out... Especially in this day and age, I think many of us have similar stories. Why the heroin addiction in America, why the prescription pain medicine addition? ....Opium takes months of daily usage to get addicted to. Why? It's not isolated and it's not concentrated. Like weed, which now has been so stripped from it's natural state that you can ingest huge levels of THC that are never found in the wild. Opium isn't heroin, even if heroin can be derived from it, the two are fundamentally different and have been woven together to create a fear mongering campaign against the plant. I'm genuinely aghast that there is a grey area about this at all. Plants shouldn't be illegal, and people doing what they will with plants to themselves shouldn't be illegal. Never realized I was a libertarian. Anyway, for any freedom loving American's reading this book or reading this review, do your patriotic duty and go plant some poppy flowers.

[Crying Airplane Baby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking sackler family, not Lin Zexu

[Sha · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few interesting facts and legal perspectives I'd never before considered. The book was somewhat informative, very opinionated, and a little bit dated. I read it on the recommendation of a senior work colleague, but I was overall disappointed with the lack of technical data.

[Harrison G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely informative and endlessly entertaining, this guide book with a slice of humor is a landmark of historical texts. Well, if you are fascinated by the topic, that is. No complaints really, I would have preferred some more background and historical significance, but the extraction and growing guides are substantial, and that's truly the purpose here anyway. 5/5 stars.

[Big Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the time period it was written, and the legal ramifications of publishing, the book remains a decent source of information. When compounded with other books regarding same subject it lends itself to a relatively informed mind. I enjoyed its simplicity as well. No heavy lifting.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing how much information this book contains. It's a complete how-to guide!

[AttackGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refresher of natures medicine for earth inhabitants.

[sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible. there’s so much misinformation about opium these days that this book clearly sets straight, i wish more people would read this.

[Hugh Simonich · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this book, I felt like I was reading top secret documents and had an irrational fear that the US government may add me to the list of those who know too much.

I got this from Michael Pollan's This Is Your Mind On Plants suggested reads. Jim Hogshire definitely took some risks in writing this one - and he paid for it dearly in March 1996.

The seeds - legal; planting the seeds - legal; growing the opium poppies - legal; owning this book - legal. All protected. BUT, if you read this book, and THEN grow the flowers, well, there's a risk of a felony charge. It's not that you did anything illegal, but it may go to intent. And under the civil forfeiture laws, a conviction is not necessary for the government to take your house, your land, your money and your reputation. But, if you're ignorant about poppies and just love the ornamental flower in your home garden, you have nothing to worry about.

Bottom line - it's ilegal to extract the opium (a rather simple process) and consume, distribute or manufacture related substances. And here in this book, Hogshire provides us the recipes for doing just that. That blows my mind a bit.

Hogshire was incarcerated in March 1996 and his life was turned upside down. It was this book that was used as evidence against him. The felony charge might not have stuck, but he did lose nearly everything in the process in his legal fight. However, what the DEA and courts, with all the power of the Drug War legislation behind them, could not stop was the production of this book and others like it. The freedom of information prevailed.

How people use this information is up to them. Personally, I have no interest in extracting opium, but I do find it fascinating that a number of naturally-growing plants and fungi around the world when consumed can dramatically change our conscious states in such profound and mysterious ways. I love the history and our comical attempts to control nature. My hats off to people like Hogshire and Pollan who take journalistic risks.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dated but very interesting, very endearing book that I can't believe I haven't reviewed yet. All of the information you'll need won't be here... but why should it be? If you're so interested, you should learn to do research yourself with more than one book. The information it shares was unprecedented for print in its time and it's an interesting historical snapshot with lots of fun anecdotes. The formatting errors are a fine price to pay for access to a book that would otherwise be inaccessible and it functions well as one piece to a larger puzzle.

[Colin Blow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book, but works better in conjunction with other books on the genre, to fill the gaps.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe we should all grow poppies.

[Bhanu Pratap · Rating 5 out of 5]

books starts with what and why of opium, leading to the justification of the title in the second last chapter. After reading this book, you need to read other books of this perspicacious writer.

[Eldal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instructions for making heroin cost it a star.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 estrelasz pq ainda nao chegou nas receitas

[greg strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book.

Somewhat out of date but certainly entertaining. this book is easily read but still thought provoking- particularly when you consider the author's brave stance against censorship and legislation of morality.

[Brad Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject was interesting enough, but the book was riddled with spelling mistakes and badly formatted sentences. It was rather off putting at times.