Turkey tackles extensive synthetic drug troubles
Bonsai, a synthetic cannabis, has become one of the most popular — and dangerous — drugs in Turkey.
ISTANBUL — On a hill in Istanbul’s Uskudar district, young men loiter on garbage-filled corners in the Selamsiz neighborhood. One man in a black T-shirt stumbles and falls on another man, who leans on a dilapidated car. The graffiti on the walls a few months ago has now been erased, but it told of a community mired in and fighting the tragedy of the illicit drug trade.
“No to bonsai. From the People of Selamsiz.”
“No to death, yes to life.”
Bonsai, a synthetic cannabis, has become one of the most popular drugs in Turkey because it is one of the cheapest — about $3 for a gram. It is also one of the deadliest drugs flooding Europe. A decade ago, bonsai spread through Turkish cities and high schools in wet tissue packages with images of dancing silhouettes in front of a fire. It looked cool, users say, and it wasn't illegal until 2011, when the government realized bonsai was addictive and dangerous.
