It was originally made under the auspices of the United Nations as part of a series of television specials designed to promote the organization's work.

The film was directed by Terence Young and stars Yul Brynner, Omar Sharif, Eli Wallach, Angie Dickinson, Senta Berger, Stephen Boyd, Trevor Howard, Rita Hayworth and Marcello Mastroianni.

[1] The film was also known by alternative titles Poppies Are Also Flowers, The Opium Connection, and Danger Grows Wild (in the UK).

The Poppy Is Also a Flower was the last of four television movies commissioned by the United Nations, to publicise its missions and roles in world peace and diplomacy.

After its television broadcast on ABC in 1966, Eli Wallach won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his portrayal of drug kingpin "Happy" Locarno.