OPIUM PICKERS
GIRLS AFFECTED BY FUMES (0.C.) SYDNEY, Mar. 13. The cultivation of the opium poppy in Australia to provide the nation with its own supplies of morphine has created some problems.
It has been found that girls harvesting the poppy crops in the New England (New South Wales) district become mildly intoxicated from the fumes when the weather conditions are dry. Faint fumes rise from the flowers and affect the pickers, but they are so diluted that they are not considered injurious. Although health authorities say that the danger of illicit traffic is not great because of difficulty of opium extraction in any but the crudest form. Sydney Chinese are relying upon crude ooium from India for their “norm dreams.” There is no evidence that Australian-grown opium has found its way into drug traffic, but opium smoking in Sydney has not decreased, despite the greater difficulties of smuggling.
The quantity of opium being produced in Australia is not great, and only now is getting beyond the experimental stage, but by next year it is expected the poppy crop will be sufficient for all Australia’s needs.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 25802, 24 March 1945, Page 8
Word Count
186OPIUM PICKERS Otago Daily Times, Issue 25802, 24 March 1945, Page 8
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