Statement About the Turkish Government's Ban on Cultivation of Opium Poppies

IN TODAY'S world, declarations of statesmanlike intent are not difficult. But instances of courageous statesmanlike action are few. Prime Minister Nihat Erim of Turkey has just combined the two. Today he declared that the Republic of Turkey, our friend and staunch ally within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, would abandon a traditional agricultural practice in order to make a significant contribution to the well-being of the world. In the decree of his Government, he announced that within one year, in accordance with the law of his nation, the opium poppy will no longer be planted. This farsighted step will provide an example which we trust will soon be followed by other nations.

For hundreds of years, tens of thousands of Turkish families have raised the opium poppy as a legitimate cash crop and for its edible oil and seed. Under a United Nations convention, Turkey is one of those few nations permitted legally to grow poppy for export. Yet Turkey is one of the few opium-cultivating countries in which the use of opium or heroin as an addictive drug is virtually unknown. Since the opium faker has little if any knowledge of his part in the spread of a frightening international epidemic, a ban on opium production is a particularly difficult decision. These circumstances accentuate the vision and wisdom of this very important step. We know well the importance of the agricultural sector of Turkey's economy, and we are prepared to put at the disposal of the Turkish Government our best technical brains to assist Turkey's program to bring about a better life for the Turkish farmer.¹ We are proud to assist in a program from which we all will benefit.

¹A White House announcement of the Secretary of Agriculture's mission to Turkey to assist in an agricultural development program was released on September 28, 1971, and is printed in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (vol. 7, p. 1354).

Secretary of State Rogers told me about his discussions in April with Prime Minister Erim and senior Turkish officials. Secretary Rogers understood fully the range of problems confronting the Turkish Government and its people, and he was impressed by the efforts being made to solve them. We in the United States are obligated to a friend and ally whose firm military and political commitment to the welfare and defense of the Atlantic community is well known. My Administration is committed to aid nations and peoples prepared to help eliminate the narcotics menace. I pledge continued cooperation with Turkey in its efforts to increase the well-being of its people and to maintain its independence and security.