Cannabis is illegal in Iran, but the law is often not strictly enforced.[1][2][3] The use of cannabis has become increasingly popular in Iranian cities according to various reports, although the government does not keep official usage statistics.[4][5]
In 1989 the Iranian government enacted a law providing the death penalty for possession of hashish in excess of five kilograms.[6]
History
The popularization of cannabis is apocryphally attributed to Sheikh Haydar (d. 1221 CE), a Sufi saint who lived in Khurasan province of what is now Iran.[7]
Reform
In 2015, Saeed Sefatian, who leads the working group on drug demand reduction within the Council for the Discernment of the Expediency of the State (or Expediency Council) presented a lecture outlining steps towards legalizing cannabis.[8]
References
- ↑ Tegel, Simeon (13 March 2015). "A guide to smoking weed around the world". Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ↑ Meehan, Maureen (29 June 2016). "Iran Has a Drug Problem and It Doesn't Include Cannabis". High Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ↑ "Cannabis Use in Present-Day Iran". Sensi Seeds. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ↑ Erdbrink, Thomas (25 June 2016). "Marijuana Use Rises in Iran, With Little Interference". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ↑ "As Iran's Marijuana Trade Thrives, Is It Becoming a Nation of Stoners?". The Daily Beast. 10 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ↑ Reza Afshari (7 June 2011). Human Rights in Iran: The Abuse of Cultural Relativism. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 40–. ISBN 978-0-8122-0105-5. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ↑ Franz Rosenthal (1971). زهر العريش في احكام الحشيش: Haschish Versus Medieval Muslim Society. Brill Archive. p. 49. GGKEY:PXU3DXJBE76.
- ↑ Ghiabi, Mayizar (26 October 2015). "Drug laws: Iran takes steps towards legalising cannabis". The Independent. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2017.