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The title seemed crazy to us too but, we assure you, it’s all true. The cannabis liberalization policy will affect 19 Turkish provinces, Islamists seem to like it, and quite a lot.
Erdoğan and cannabis
The Turkish president recently approved a decree that liberalizes the cultivation of cannabis in 19 Turkish provinces, starting a real era. Erdoğan has in fact declared that from now on this important material will not only no longer be eradicated but, on the contrary, more and more medical research is underway in Turkey regarding its effects.
The decision to focus on this sector will also favor the planet, completely banning plastic bags and replacing them with ecological hemp bags. In short, good for everyone.
Why hemp in particular?
The Turkish president sees these liberalizations as a possible damage to the US economy, enhancing an unused national heritage. In fact, Erdoğan stated that:
We destroyed cannabis in our country for false friends. The US government, using its financial power, has put pressure on other countries to remove cannabis-based drugs from their national codes. After the States banned 37 of these drugs, European countries and Turkey followed his lead.
In fact, cannabis grows spontaneously on the Turkish coasts of the Black Sea and it is estimated that there are 2.5 million wild plants. A heritage that the East is slowly rediscovering after a dark period. The interesting thing is that all Turkish Islamist groups said they were extremely satisfied with the new project.
For recreational use?
Perhaps the real question that all of you have been waiting for. At the moment no reference has been made either in one sense or in another to the question. In Italy, for example, the maximum amount of THC per plant had already been reported long before the application of the maneuver, but at this time we have not found any statements about it. However, the words of the journalist and columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak leave us hopeful. In fact, he stated that:
The Turkish Social Security Administration (SGK) is expected to manufacture cannabis-based medicines and distribute them free of charge under the supervision of doctors.
Dilipak also argues that it is not correct to compare something so harmless with drugs such as heroin or the like and believes that this will deal a severe blow to organized crime.
What do you think about it? We will keep you constantly updated on the subject and inform you that Lebanon also seems interested in cannabis for its economy. If you want it would be interesting to do a series on the culture of this plant in the Middle East, there would be a lot of interesting material.
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We leave you the sources, it’s all true: Middle East Eye (inside you will also find the link with the decree), Haberler and Sabah.
