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New government regulations will allow highly-controlled and ministry-sanctioned cannabis production in selected provinces for medical and scientific purposes

Turkey has legalised cannabis production in 19 provinces in order to crackdown on illegal production, according to new regulations by The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.

Published in the Official Gazette in late September, "Hemp Cultivation and Control of Regulations" will allow highly-controlled and ministry-sanctioned cannabis production in the selected provinces for medical and scientific purposes.

Under the regulations, growers must obtain permission from the government allowing them to grow the plant for a three-year-period, Turkish newspaper The Hurriyet reports.

Although the Koran does not specifically outlaw cannabis, and it was apparently never mentioned by Mohammed himself, the plant and products made from it are still considered haraam (forbidden). However, cannabis grows and is processed into hashish in many Muslim-majority countries around the world, and it has been an undeniable part of the culture for centuries in many of these countries.  

Recently Mexico became one of the few countries to legalize marijuana cultivation and possession, joining Bangladesh, Colombia, Uruguay, and others. But in some regions, most specifically the Middle East, there is a set of strict laws when it comes to cannabis possession or cultivation.

General cargo vessel MUNZUR was intercepted by Italian police on December 2 in Tyrrhenian sea northeast of Pantelleria island, near Sicily, on a suspicion of drug trafficking.

A huge quantity of hashish was found, some 11 tons divided into 500 parcels. It was a final stage of an international operation, involving Spain, Portugal, Greek and Italian drug enforcement agencies and Europol.

In the 31st International Epilepsy Congress in Istanbul, recent trials showed that cannabis may actually help in the treatment of epilepsy, but its effect doesn’t make any significant difference with other anti-epileptic drugs. 

Professor Helen Cross of Great Ormond Street Hospital, London said that although cannabis may help in the treatment, its usage is still subjected to further research to evaluate its efficacy and safety. 

‘We have to be particularly concerned about the effects of the drug on the developing brain in children,’ Cross said.

The United States has said in a new report that Turkey's consumption of bonsai, or synthetic cannabinoid, surged a staggering 200 percent last year.