According to a decree from the Taliban leader issued this month, the cultivation of cannabis is prohibited throughout the country, which was already the case. But above all, in case of violation, the plantation will be destroyed and the offenders will be punished according to the rules of Sharia.
“The cultivation of cannabis is completely prohibited throughout the country and if someone cultivates it, the plantation will be destroyed. Courts have also been ordered to punish offenders in accordance with Sharia laws,” a statement from Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said.
What exactly are the penalties provided by Sharia? The “crimes” of apostasy, revolt, adultery, slander and alcohol are punishable by amputation of hands and feet, flogging and/or death. These penalties also apply to women whose bodies and hair are uncovered.
Afghan, world producer of cannabis and opium
Cannabis is one of the crops most produced by farmers in the country and Afghanistan became the top supplier in 2010, according to the United Nations. The country has also long been one of the world’s largest producers of opium, the basic ingredient of heroin, and cannabis, which is grown on a large scale in half of its provinces.
According to a 2010 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), between 10,000 and 24,000 hectares of cannabis are cultivated each year in Afghanistan, with significant cultivation in 17 of the country’s 34 provinces.
The illegal opium and cannabis trade is believed to have fueled the Taliban before they came to power in 2021, following a 20-year insurgency against US-led forces that invaded the country following of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The Taliban claimed to have entered into a partnership with a medical cannabis company in 2021.
Taliban press director Qari Saeed Khosty claimed then that a contract had been signed between the Afghan government and a cannabis company called Cpharm to set up a cannabis production center worth $450 million. dollars in Afghanistan, and that the facility would be “operational within days.
