The History of Drugs in Turkey
Opium has been cultivated in Anatolia since around 3000 B.C. Around 4000 B.C., the Sumerians cultivated poppies and hemp in Lower Mesopotamia and used them for medicinal purposes (Ögel, 1997).
Anatolia plays an extremely important role in the history of opium. Nearly all species of the genus Papaver grow in this region. At least 50 species are known. However, the most important species, Papaver somniferum, contains such a high concentration of alkaloids—far exceeding that of varieties grown in other countries—that it is found exclusively in these lands. Even native species from other countries show a significant increase in their alkaloid content when brought to Anatolia and cultivated there (Ögel, 1997).
The first legal regulations in our country concerning the cultivation of opium poppies, the production of opium, and those who used or supplied these substances were enacted during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmet. During the reign of Murad IV, the use of opium, tobacco, and coffee was banned (Ögel, 1997).
The term “afyon” first appears in 1873 during the Ottoman Empire. Over time, it gradually began to appear in other dictionaries as well (Ögel, 1997).
The 1839 Tanzimat Edict and the 1856 Islahat Edict marked the moment when full-fledged colonial scenarios were drawn up and put into practice for the Ottoman Empire. In the early 1930s, a Japanese executive known as Kikuçi established an alkaloid factory under the Turkish Republic government. In addition, a number of opium-related factories were established (EGM, 1996).
The Republic of Turkey was admitted to the League of Nations on July 18, 1932, and on April 3, 1933, the law regarding the restriction of opium poppy cultivation and the transfer of opium production and sales operations to the “Narcotics Monopoly,” which was under the Ministry of Economy, and the 1931 Geneva Opium Convention were adopted. In 1938, this monopoly was transferred to the Agricultural Products Office (EGM, 1994).
To prevent the manufacture of this substance, the death penalty for this crime was introduced into the Turkish Penal Code No. 765, and the import of “anhydride,” a substance used in its manufacture, was banned. Globally, efforts to control this substance are being made through the “Central Committee,” which was established on a permanent basis under the “Geneva Convention” of February 19, 1925, for the control of opium. In 1953, nearly 50 countries decided to halt heroin production within their borders (EGM, 1994).
The Republic of Turkey has never wavered from its equally strict and firm stance toward all substances with narcotic or stimulant properties, whether derived from natural sources or produced synthetically.
Between 1938 and 1971, Turkey accounted for 50–55 percent of the global legal opium market. In the 1970s, the international community began holding Turkey responsible for and accusing it of illicit opium trafficking, and in 1971, the government completely banned opium production. This ban affected 1.5 million people for whom opium production was their sole source of livelihood, and the fact that no other crops could be grown on their land drove these people into poverty. In 1974, this ban was lifted. (Opium gum production was banned.) Additionally, a licensing system for production and harvesting was introduced in an effort to curb illegal production. The number of production areas, which stood at 42 in 1961, has since dropped to 10. In 1994, 12,450 metric tons of opium were harvested from an area of 25,332 hectares. The entire production is purchased by the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) and sent to the alkaloid factory established in Bolvadin in 1981 for processing. Between 90 and 95 percent of the factory’s production is exported (Ögel, 1997). The areas legally cultivated with opium poppy and hemp in our country are shown in Figure 1.1 (EGM, 1996).
REFERENCES:
1) GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF SECURITY (1994) Directorate General for Combating Smuggling and Organized Crime, General Assessment of Narcotics Incidents, Narcotics Branch Directorate, Ankara.
2) GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF SECURITY (1996) Directorate General for Combating Smuggling and Organized Crime, General Assessment of Narcotics Incidents, Narcotics Branch Directorate, Ankara.
3) ÖGEL, K., (1997) Narcotics and Addiction, İletişim Publishing, Şefik Printing House, Istanbul.
