Cultivation of Industrial Cannabis and Iranian Poppy Brought Under Regulation

The Director General of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs at the Headquarters for Combating Narcotics announced the regulation of industrial cannabis and Iranian poppy (Papaver bracteatum) cultivation.

According to the report of Ambassador Arjan Mohammad Tarhami, Director General of Legal Affairs and Legislative Affairs of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, referring to the notification of the instructions for monitoring the cultivation of industrial hemp, stated: With the notification of this instruction, the possibility of cultivating this plant has been provided within the framework of the established rules and under the supervision of the responsible authorities.

He added: Strengthening the resistance economy, taking advantage of the economic capacities of industrial hemp, developing local and knowledge-based transformation industries, producing food inputs and industrial products, providing pharmaceutical raw materials and creating sustainable employment are among the goals of this directive.

Pointing to the legal basis of this decision, Tarhami said: According to Article 28 of the United Narcotics Convention approved in 1961 and the law of Iran's accession to this convention in 1961, as well as according to Article 2 of the Anti-Narcotics Law approved in 1967 and its subsequent amendments, cannabis cultivation without the intention of producing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is not considered a crime. Based on this, criteria have been determined to distinguish industrial hemp from species that are cultivated for the purpose of producing psychoactive substances.

The General Director of Legal Affairs and Legislative Affairs of the Narcotics Control Headquarters continued by referring to the economic capacities of this plant: Cannabis, among plants, has medicinal and industrial uses and can play an effective role in the development of agriculture and related industries. The products of this plant can be used in the field of food industry and supplements, production of fibers and thick fabrics, construction materials, medicine and health products.

He stated: The Secretariat of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters has announced the guidelines for monitoring the cultivation of industrial hemp with the aim of removing obstacles to production, determining specific criteria and preventing diversion of cultivation towards illegal uses.

Tarhami explained about the cultivation conditions of this plant: the applicant farmers can cultivate by using certified hemp seeds whose tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content is less than 0.3% and the proportion of cannabidiol (CBD) is predominant in them, after receiving a license from the Agricultural Jihad Organization of the respective province.

He added: In cases where the cultivation of cannabis with a THC content of more than 0.3% is needed for the production of medicine, the criteria for the cultivation of anemones, according to the relevant regulations approved in the 151st meeting of the headquarters and announced by the president, will be the criteria for action. The Steering and Monitoring Committee of the Headquarters Secretariat also supervises the implementation of these regulations.

Controlled cultivation of Iranian anemones to provide the seeds

The General Director of Legal Affairs and Majlis Affairs of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters also announced the regulation of the cultivation of Iranian anemone, known as Bracteatum, to provide the primary medicinal ingredient Tebain.

Tarhami stated: With the notification of the relevant instructions from the representative of the president and the secretary general of the staff, the controlled cultivation of this type of plant to meet the medicinal needs of the country has been declared permissible.

Referring to the Iranian origin of this plant, he said: Bracteatum anemone is cultivated in some countries, including Australia, to provide medicinal raw materials, and the tabain obtained from it is one of the materials used in the production of some medicines.

Tarhami added: Due to the need for industrial processing to extract this alkaloid, the cultivation of this plant must be done within the framework of certain criteria and under supervision.

He continued: In the past years, pharmaceutical companies used the collection of this plant by native people from nature to provide part of their need for thebane. In addition to creating problems for the environment and genetic resources of native plants, this method also limited the possibility of accurate planning to meet the country's medicinal needs.

Reducing dependence on imports by developing the cultivation of medicinal plants

The General Director of Legal Affairs and Legislative Affairs of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, emphasizing the importance of reconciliation in drug production, said: The development of controlled cultivation of Iranian anemone can be effective in reducing dependence on the import of this substance, preventing the outflow of foreign currency and strengthening the domestic capacities of the pharmaceutical industry.

He added: Creating local and knowledge-based transformation industries, producing medicinal raw materials, protecting the environment, protecting the genetic resources of wild medicinal plants and creating sustainable employment are among the other goals of compiling the Iranian anemone cultivation guidelines.

Tarhami pointed out: By announcing the rules related to the cultivation of this plant, the planned exploitation of its capacities has been provided to meet the country's medicinal needs, and the implementation of this plan will be carried out within the framework of the announced instructions and under the supervision of the responsible authorities.