Cannabis in Syria

Last updated

Cannabis in Syria is illegal. Under the policies of the Syrian Arab Republic cannabis is illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in prison in large drug trafficking offenses, if someone is considered an addict by the Syrian government then they face no criminal penalties for drug use and possession. [1] Since the start of the Syrian civil war cannabis laws have become widely unenforced by the Syrian government as well as Kurdish and rebel controlled territories, while civilians growing cannabis in Jabhat al-Nusra controlled territory face arrest. [2] On multiple occasions Bashar al-Assad granted general amnesties to multiple crimes which included drug trafficking offenses. [3]

Contents

Legality

The cultivation, sale, and possession of cannabis for recreational or medical purposes are illegal in Syria. [4]

History

Under the French mandate system in the early 20th century, Syria and Lebanon were major cannabis producers. Following the 1925 International Opium Convention, the League of Nations endorsed an agenda against cannabis and other drugs. The enforcement of this anti-cannabis agenda was placed on the French administration under international supervision. [5]

Under President Shukri al-Quwatli (1943–1949), the cultivating of cannabis was banned in Syria, though authorities noted they had little ability to prevent the Druze of the Jabal al-Druze region from producing hashish. [6]

In 1993, Syria enacted Law No. 2 which authorizes punishment, up to and including capital punishment, for the manufacture, transportation, and sale of narcotics. [7]

Civil War

As the country has become destabilized as a result of the civil war, people living in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces and rebel controlled territories have begun growing cannabis as a way of making money to fight poverty. [8]

During the civil war cannabis was sold to and used by Syrian Arab Army soldiers, ISIS soldiers and Syrian rebels. [9] [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

The Narcotic Control Act, passed in 1961, was one of Canada's national drug control statutes prior to its repeal by the 1996 Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It implemented the provisions of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idlib Governorate</span> Governorate in Syria

Idlib Governorate is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the south, and Latakia Governorate to the west. Reports of its area vary, depending on the source, from 5,933 km2 to 6,097 km2. The provincial capital is Idlib.

A drug policy is the policy regarding the control and regulation of psychoactive substances, particularly those that are addictive or cause physical and mental dependence. While drug policies are generally implemented by governments, entities at all levels may have specific policies related to drugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian civil war</span> Ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria since 2011

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria fought between the Syrian Arab Republic led by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and various domestic and foreign forces that oppose both the Syrian government and each other, in varying combinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Syrian civil war</span> Timeline of the Syrian civil war from 15 March 2011 to the present

This is a broad timeline of the course of major events of the Syrian civil war. It only includes major territorial changes and attacks and does not include every event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sectarianism and minorities in the Syrian civil war</span>

The Syrian Civil War is an intensely sectarian war. The focus of the conflict has been identified by some as a ruling minority Alawite government and allied Shi'a governments such as Iran, pitted against the country's Sunni Muslim majority who are aligned with the Syrian opposition and their Sunni Turkish and Persian Gulf state backers. Others, such as the blogger Neil Clarke, identify it as the secular Syrian government, made up of all religious groups pitted against the Islamist opposition. Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and many hold high governmental positions, while Alawites and members of almost every minority have also been active on the rebel side. Despite this, Sunni recruits face systematic discrimination in the armed forces and ninety percentage of the officer corps are dominated by Alawite members vetted by the regime; based on their sectarian loyalty to Assad dynasty. SAA also pursues a truculant anti-religious policy within its ranks; marked by animosity towards Sunni religious expressions such as regular observance of salah (prayers), Hijab (headcoverings), abstinence from alcoholic drinks, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Nusra Front</span> Jihadist organization in the Syrian Civil War

Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra, known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham after July 2016, and also described as al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant, was a Salafist jihadist terrorist organization fighting against Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War. Its aim was to establish an Islamic state in the country. The group has changed its name several times and merged with and separated from other groups.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to July 2015. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from August to December 2015. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to July 2014. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war</span> 2015 Russian military operation

The Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war began in September 2015, after an official request by the Syrian government for military aid against rebel and jihadist groups. The intervention initially involved air strikes by Russian aircraft deployed to the Khmeimim base against targets primarily in north-western Syria, and against Syrian opposition militant groups opposed to the Syrian government, including the Free Syrian Army, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), al-Nusra Front and the Army of Conquest. In addition, Russian special operations forces and military advisors are deployed to Syria. Prior to the intervention, Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War had mainly consisted of supplying the Syrian Army with arms and equipment. At the end of December 2017, the Russian government announced that its troops would be deployed to Syria permanently.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2016. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Nepal</span> Use of cannabis in Nepal

Cannabis in Nepal has been illegal since 1976, but the country has a long history of use of cannabis for Ayurvedic medicine, intoxicant and as a holy offering for Hindu god Shiva and continues to produce cannabis illicitly.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from September to December 2017. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

Cannabis in Jordan is illegal. In 2018, Anwar Tarawneh, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) reported that "marijuana is the most consumed drug in Jordan", with AND seizing 1.5 tonnes of cannabis that year. As Jordan is a signatory to the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to April 2019. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Syrian parliamentary election</span> Parliamentary election in Syria

Parliamentary elections were scheduled to be held in Syria on 13 April 2020 to elect members of the People's Council of Syria. However, on 14 March they were postponed to 20 May due to the coronavirus pandemic. On 7 May, it was decided to postpone the elections until 19 July. Syria's parliamentary elections occur every four years, with the last held in 2016.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2020. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian civil war.

Anarchism in Syria emerged as a largely disorganized movement during the authoritarian rule of the Assad government, but following the initiation of the Arab Spring has been a particularly notable factor in the Rojava conflict during the civil uprising phase of the Syrian civil war.

References

  1. ↑ Ali, Tareq (18 May 2017). "Syrians Turn to Drugs to Forget the Burden of War". Raseef.
  2. ↑ Abdallah, Omar (23 July 2014). "In Idlib, a Thriving Marijuana Industry Comes Under Assault". Daily Beast.
  3. ↑ "Syria's Assad grants amnesties before presidential election". ABC. 2 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "Cannabis in Syria". Canna Connection. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Bourmaud, Phillippe (March 2016). "Turf Wars at the league of nations: International anti-cannabis policies and oversight in Syria and Lebanon, 1919-1939". The League of Nations' Work on Social Issues. pp. 75–87. ISBN   9789210577021. Archived from the original on 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  6. ↑ Thomas Philipp; Birgit Schäbler (1998). The Syrian Land: Processes of Integration and Fragmentation : Bilād Al-Shām from the 18th to the 20th Century. Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 383–. ISBN   978-3-515-07309-7. Archived from the original on 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  7. ↑ William R. Brownfield (1 May 2011). International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: Volume I: Drug and Chemical Control. DIANE Publishing. pp. 586–. ISBN   978-1-4379-8272-5. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. ↑ Ahmad, Rozh (24 August 2012). "Poverty Leading to Marijuana Farms in Kobane". Rudaw. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Rosenfeld, Jesse (12 July 2017). "This Is Where ISIS Gets Its Weed". Daily Beast.
  10. ↑ Abdallah, Omar (23 July 2014). "In Idlib, a Thriving Marijuana Industry Comes Under Assault". Daily Beast.
  11. ↑ Makropulos, Juan (19 June 2013). "I Smoked Hash and Watched Cute Animal Videos with Syrian Rebels". Vice.


Cannabis leaf 2.svg

This Cannabis-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.