Erdogan’s newfound love for cannabis
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/01/turkey-erdogans-new-found-love-for-cannabis.html
Indeed, the restrictions on hemp production were lifted in 1990 and re-regulated by the Turkish parliament to make it even more liberal in September 2016. Today, it is already legal to grow hemp in 19 cities, but you need government permits. The updated 2016 legislation relaxes the permission process for farmers. It also adds a flexible licensing process for researchers.
However, it did not catch the attention of Erdogan until now. A source close to the Palace told Al-Monitor, “Turkey is working with international consulting firms, and we believe they are the ones that brought this lucrative plant to the president’s attention.” Global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has given similar advice to Lebanon. The Turkish agreement to work with that firm was cut off abruptly and suspiciously after widespread public reaction.
But desperate times call for interesting measures. On Jan. 9, Erdogan blasted out to the “enemies of Turkey who pretend to be friends,” saying that they have compelled Turkey to end its cannabis production. In an emotional speech, referring to his ancestral city of Rize and remembering when they used to make underwear from hemp that is more absorbent than any other material, Erdogan said Turkey has been importing the plant but is now taking steps for its widespread production.
On social media, pundits took this “enemies who pretend to be friends” to be the United States, which pressed to ban opium poppy production in 1971. Up until then, Turkey was a major producer of legal opium, but farmers were known to produce also significant amounts of the plant illegally.
Currently, Turkey has one alkaloid processing plant in Central Anatolian province of Afyon, which means “opium” in Turkish. Afyon is known for its high-quality poppy seed production. The factory produces ingredients to be used in prescription drugs. Turkey’s conservative segments now applaud Necmettin Erbakan, the late leader of the Islamist movement in Turkey, for his firm support for the construction of the plant in the late 1970s.
Pro-government media promptly started distributing informational graphs and pieces on the benefits of cannabis production — which they referred to as a national matter— to the health sector and the economy, declaring this to be a “cannabis war” and praying for a victory. Even the uses of hemp for the Ottoman navy were cited in the news.
Turkish government television TRT started airing infomercials about cannabis while referring to it as an “Anatolian plant” and elaborating on countless uses of hemp. Islamist media particularly was quite eager to back Erdogan. For example, Mehmet Toprak, a columnist for Dirilis Postasi, wrote a piece titled “Cannabis will make the US’ dollar weapon explode in their own hands.” Toprak emphasized that “President Erdogan’s decision on cannabis production is a turning point in our history. It is as revolutionary as the July 15 victory. This decision shows us how crucial it is to stand behind Erdogan for the future of our country and the Muslim lands.”