Opium for the Masses

"Contrary to general belief, there is no federal law against growing P. somniferum."—Martha Stewart Living

"Regarded as ''God''s own medicine,'' preparations of opium were as common in the Victorian medicine cabinet as aspirin is in ours. As late as 1915, pamphlets issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were still mentioning opium poppies as a good cash crop for northern farmers. Well into th...