On April 18, 2025, Turkish authorities burned 20.7 tons of cannabis seized from criminal cases in the center of Lice, a town in the province of Diyarbakır. Unknowingly, they filled the town with cannabis smoke.
For at least five days, 25,000 townspeople were unable to open their windows or step outside. Many experienced dizziness, nausea, and hallucinations.
The burnt cannabis was confiscated in the province between 2023 and 2024, valued at $261.4 million (approximately VND 6.7 trillion). It was evidence from 1,941 cases over two years.
“The town was enveloped in cannabis smoke for days. We dared not open our windows. Children showed signs of breathlessness and illness and had to be taken to the hospital,” a local complained.
The police even arranged the cannabis to spell out the town’s name, Lice.
Yahya Öğer, Chairman of the Green Star Association, an organization raising drug awareness, stated that just like secondhand tobacco smoke, cannabis smoke is harmful to bystanders in enclosed spaces. He added that the indiscriminate disposal of cannabis could cause severe discomfort and even hallucinations.
Öğer emphasized that while the authorities’ achievements in the drug war are commendable, the method of cannabis disposal was inappropriate. Moreover, the officers’ arrangement of the drugs to spell out ‘LICE’ was unprofessional and insensitive to the residents.
“The destruction or burning of such herbs can also lead to serious poisoning. The authorities should dispose of the drugs in factories with filtering chimneys or in areas far from residential centers,” Öğer explained.
The Green Star Association offered to provide drug awareness programs for law enforcement agencies and schools. Despite continued reports of health issues, the authorities have not made any efforts to rectify the situation.
On Reddit, users expressed their outrage at the local authorities’ negligence. “Something similar happened near my place about a decade ago. The authorities cut down and burned a large pile of cannabis plants, but the seeds spread by the wind, and we still occasionally see wild cannabis plants by the road,” commented one user.
Another wrote: “The police here are very unprofessional. This behavior is extremely harmful to children. Inhaling even a small amount of cannabis smoke can be dangerous and potentially life-threatening for them.”
