Is Marijuana Legal in Syria?

The cultivation, commerce, and possession of any form of marijuana are illegal in Syria. In 1993, Syria passed Law No. 2 detailing the penalties for manufacturing, distributing, and selling narcotics, including cannabis. Penalties for the possession of cannabis are harsh and can include life imprisonment or capital punishment.

Medical Marijuana Laws in Syria

Medical marijuana is illegal in Syria. Individuals who consume, sell, or distribute cannabis for medical purposes may be subject to harsh penalties. Syria’s drug policy was updated in 1993 with Law Number 2.

This law authorizes imprisonment or capital punishment for individuals found possessing, selling, or trafficking cannabis. This law also articulates that drug users or addicts must be treated at state-managed rehabilitation facilities.

In cases where the person has no previous criminal history and makes a reasonable effort during rehabilitation, no further penalties will be administered. For significant drug trafficking offenses, the potential prison sentence is up to 20 years or potentially even the death penalty per laws established in 1993.

However, despite Syria’s strict law surrounding narcotics, the Middle Eastern state is currently vulnerable, politically fragile, and prone to corruption. Although cannabis is illegal in the Middle Eastern state, it has nonetheless become integrated into the fabric of Syrian society.

Individuals facing rising poverty and unemployment sometimes turn to cannabis cultivation to make ends meet. Drug production and drug trafficking are also used by rebel groups and members of the governmental regime to generate income.

For example, reports suggest that most criminal markets in Syria, such as the cannabis market, are controlled by state-embedded actors. Syria often serves as an intermediary stop for traffickers who smuggle cannabis and hashish from neighboring countries and send it to Europe and other destinations.

Corrupt regime and military officials facilitate cannabis distribution, and cannabis use is rising among Syrian youth. The drug trade funds diverse criminal activities with drug production throughout Syria. Hashish is one of the most commonly trafficked and produced drugs in Syria, alongside Captagon (fenethylline), a form of amphetamine.

What to Know About Cannabis in Syria

Syria has a long and complex relationship with cannabis, which the country’s civil war has further complicated. Marijuana has become more visible in Syria in recent years due to the country’s ongoing civil conflict and corruption.

Marijuana Cultivation Is on the Rise in Syria

Historically, Syria was a major producer of cannabis in the early twentieth century until the government enforced an anti-cannabis agenda from the mid-1920s onwards. Despite maintaining a prohibitive stance throughout most of the twentieth century, the onset of Syria’s civil war from 2011 on caused political destabilization, poverty, and joblessness.

People in war-torn factions or rebel-controlled territories began growing cannabis to make a living. Foreign entities such as the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah have also played a role in encouraging the cultivation of cannabis throughout Syria. Other international militias located in Syria have also turned to cannabis cultivation as a means of creating income.

Cannabis Trafficking Is Common in Syria

In recent years, Syria has come to be known as a narco-state with cannabis and other drugs, such as Captagon, constantly crossing borders. Militia commanders, security agencies, and military forces are all involved in and profit from drug smuggling operations.

The EU recently released a statement declaring that Syria’s narcotics trade is led by the governmental regime, enriching the regime’s inner circle and providing it with revenue that enables the ongoing repression of the civilian population.

In other words, cannabis is used by civilians as a means of surviving the ravages of war, while corrupt officials and rebel groups use the cannabis plant as a means of generating income to support political or military activities.

Can You Grow Cannabis in Syria?

Although it is illegal to grow weed in Syria, the cannabis plant is cultivated in diverse regions. Syria’s climate is sometimes described as Mediterranean and is well-suited to weed cultivation thanks to its hot, dry summers and moderately cold winters.

For example, the mountainous province of Idlib near the Turkish border represents one such place where cannabis cultivation has become prominent. Cannabis grows quickly in Idlib and yields more income than olives, which are traditionally grown in the area.

The Bottom Line

Unlike other countries worldwide that are contending with questions of medicinal or personal use legalization, Syria’s relationship with cannabis is distinctive. Syria’s 1993 Law Number 2 stipulates that weed is illegal, with harsh penalties for those who possess, sell, or distribute the plant or its products.

However, the Syrian civil war and ongoing political turbulence have seen cannabis and drug trafficking become an economic lifeline for impoverished Syrians, rebel groups, and the Syrian government. While cannabis is technically illegal in Syria, day-to-day reality sees cannabis traded as a commodity.