Few sights in nature are more strikingly breathtaking than gently rolling fields blanketed by lavender, scarlet, white, and green opium poppies in full bloom. One of nature's most dramatic displays, their splashes of dazzling color are rivaled only by that of tropical fish cruising amid the coral reefs or parrot flocks gliding amid the tropical rain forest canopy.

However, the natural allure of the opium poppy in bloom masks a dark side unlike any other found in nature. Contained within the seedpod of the opium poppy is a gummy sap that bleeds from the surface when it is accidentally scratched or intentionally slit.

Although the sap looks innocuous as it forms in droplets on the outer shell of the green pod, it becomes a dangerous narcotic once harvested and processed for millions of opium addicts who are dependent on its mystical yet...