Tasmanian opium industry

Opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) under cultivation in Tasmania

The Tasmanian opium industry was established in Tasmania in 1966.[1][2] Tasmania is the world's largest producer of legal narcotic opium, producing more than 50% of the world's supply.[3][4] Opium produced in Tasmania generally gets produced into opiate medications such as morphine, codeine and oxycodone.[5]

Extractas Bioscience (formerly known as Tasmanian Alkaloids) is Tasmania's largest corporate grower of opium poppies.[6] The father of Jeremy Rockliff, the current Premier of Tasmania worked for Extractas during his life as a poppy producer.[7]

A downy mildew outbreak in the 2014 poppy-growing season led to one Tasmanian company to look into growing poppies in the Northern Territory and Victoria of Australia.[4] Following the outbreak, the Northern Territory Government passed legislation allowing for the supervised production of opium plants for legal wholesale to produce narcotic medications.[3]

References

1. "Legislative Council Select Committee Inquiry: Tasmanian Poppy Industry" (PDF). Parliament of Tasmania. November 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
2. Chang, Charis (9 April 2014). "States want their cut of Australia's growing opium poppy industry". news.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
3. Government, Northern Territory (1 May 2020). "Poppy Regulation Act". daf.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
4. Blucher, Alex (7 November 2014). "A systemic mildew that's causing entire paddock losses in poppy crops across Tasmania has sparked an industry-wide response". ABC Rural. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
5. Gardner, Jessica (14 January 2014). "Opium poppy venture on a high". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
6. Ogilvie, Felicity (25 June 2009). "Happy hops damage poppy crops". ABC News (Australia). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
7. "Rick Rockliff, Tasmanian agricultural identity and father of Tasmanian premier, dies". ABC News. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2025.

External links

• Know your poppies factsheet from Department of Natural Resources and Environment (Tasmania) website