Jump in poppy thefts

THE number of capsules stolen from Tasmanian poppy farms has jumped more than 23-fold in one year, according to the Poppy Advisory and Control Board annual report.

More than 12,200 poppy capsules were stolen in 2016-17, compared with just over 500 the year before, and just over 300 the year before that. Tasmanian poppies are grown to be processed into drugs such as morphine, but their illicit use has been linked to a number of deaths.

Danish tourist Jonas Havskov Pedersen died from a morphine overdose after drinking poppy tea at Oatlands in 2014. The backpacker had stolen the poppies needed to make the tea from a plantation at Jericho.

A 17-year-old boy from Dodges Ferry died in 2012, also after drinking poppy tea.

The Poppy Advisory and Control Board said that during the 2016-17 growing season, there were 28 poppy interferences, with 12,239 capsules stolen. “This represents an increase on recent years,” the report said.

“However, to put this into some perspective, in the decade prior to 2008, the average number of capsules stolen annually was around 23,000.”

The report said eight people had been charged during the 2016-17 financial year and 7265 capsules had been recovered.

“The Poppy Advisory and Control Board in consultation with Tasmania Police and industry representatives considered the security controls and public safety programs in place and the board will continue to monitor the situation,” the report said.

Slightly more than 17,000ha of poppies were approved for planting in 2016-17 and 8133 hectares harvested — down from 21428 in 2013-14.

The report noted that there has been a 12-month global stockpile of raw opiate, which was putting downward pressure on production and prices.

Tasmanian farmed poppies.