Talk to any French farmer and they will most likely tell you that the poppies you see throughout France during late spring are an invasive weed. Although it may appear that French farmers are growing this poppy in their fields as a crop, they are not. The only species of Poppy to be grown as a crop on a large scale would be the Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) used in making morphine, codeine and illegal drugs, but it’s illegal to cultivate in most developed countries.