you should read the "edible poppy seeds- need help" post. the conversation that ensued following that post was pretty interesting. They said that papaver somniferum is the "opium poppy". It actually is the plant used in the prodution of opium and yes you are not supposed to grow them. You can probably get away with it just don't harvest the sap from the seed pods.

Our grandmothers raised somnifera poppies for bread seed and no there is no difference that I'm aware of. The milky sap collected from the plants green seedpod is processed into opium and that takes a bit of doing. If you have ever had to take a drug-urine test they always ask if you have had anything with poppy seeds in it as there is a bit of opiate residue that will show in the test. Richter's sells blue and white seeded P. somnifera and there are many others.

I agree you need to check out the thread dwane recommended.

breadseed is readily available in many countries, and some gorgeous-looking flowers can come from this source. although richter's has a great variety of seeds, they do not identify flower type,color,variety name, or country of origin of their poppy seeds, which they presumably sell to be grown (not eaten). in such cases it is very helpful to know the seed's provenance. actually producing medicine from poppies requires a vast number of the plants, far beyond the size of any standard garden, so i doubt that there are any real legal repercussions for everyday, true gardeners. i've seen soms in the front yards of homes in small towns, in showy gardens featured in national magazines, and along driveways and in backyards and in some cases filling entire fields (even featured in one state's travel brochures)--but no one is out there harvesting latex, either. poppy paranoia is fed in part by seed merchants who charge ridiculous rates (up to several dollars per gram!) for edible seeds, not wanting people to know these same seeds are easily available and that the plants are so easily grown.

In California we have a wild poppy. In the year 2000 I belonged to the California Poppy Project with the objective of repopulating the state. I did my part and now there are areas I planted that are full of huge beautiful spring blooming California poppies. I keep a small garden in front of my house, which i harvest seeds to pass on to those who request them. A friend asked could she use them in baking. I have no idea, they do look the same but are obviously not of the same variety of the colorful, bigger variety you are speaking of when referring to opium production. But I am curious, are the wild California poppy seeds which seed in a pod also edible?

California poppy isn't a true poppy. Don't eat the seeds.