Whole town in Turkey unintentionally gets "high" after drug disposal operation
25,000 residents of the eastern Turkish city of Lice were unintentionally left “high” after authorities burned 20 tons of confiscated cannabis.
On April 18, officials incinerated the massive drug haul, arranging the packages to spell out the city’s name—“Lice.” The large-scale disposal operation caused thick cannabis smoke to linger over the area for several days, leading to symptoms of intoxication among residents, including dizziness, nausea, and hallucinations.
"Just like tobacco smoke harms passive smokers in enclosed spaces, the smoke from burning these drugs can cause serious discomfort, intoxication, dizziness, nausea, and hallucinations," said Yahya Öger, president of the Green Star Association, which works to combat addiction.
Even five days after the operation, residents were still struggling with its effects.
“We haven’t been able to open our windows for days because of the smell of drugs. Our children have gotten sick, and we’ve been going back and forth to the hospital. We face this problem every year,” said one local resident.
The destroyed cannabis, worth 10 billion Turkish lira (over $260 million), was seized during 226 anti-narcotics operations carried out in 2024. Authorities used 200 liters of diesel fuel to incinerate the drugs.
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