Friday, March 30, 2007 Opium poppy plantation discovered in Benguet By Jane Cadalig
A COMPOSITE team from the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional office discovered the existence of an opium poppy plantation in the town of Atok, Benguet, last Wednesday.
The plantation, which was found in sitio Naynay-es in barangay Atok, contains an area of about 50 square meters.
In a report, the inspecting team said the plants found in the lot, were completely similar and with qualities similar to that of the opium poppy plants.
Police authorities were able to discover the plantation through a tip from concerned citizens.
The Laboratory Service of the PDEA Central Office confirmed on Thursday the presence of dangerous drugs on the sample plants sent by the PRO-Cordilleras and PDEA-Cordilleras for examination.
Said samples were reported to contain morphine, codeine, thebaine and papaverine.
The opium poppy is a plant used to produce opium, a drug that is a source of heroin and other medicines.
Misuse of the opium and other drugs made from it causes addiction, a reason why several nations restrict their manufacture, distribution and use.
