In an effort to fight against drugs European leaders meet in Turkey, one of Europe's major drug traffic hubs, to advocate a cannabis free world The current international debate on cannabis zoomed in on Turkey, when last week European mayors and municipal leaders combating drug abuse gathered in Istanbul to lobby the U.S. government to continue its fight against the legalization of cannabis and discuss the challenges that drugs pose to their cities. Turkey, straddling Asia and Europe, is a drug trafficking hub due to its strategic location on the 'Balkan Route' on which drugs are transported from Afghanistan to Europe, but also on the 'Synthetics Route' bringing synthetic drugs, such as amphetamines and ecstasy, produced in Europe to Saudi Arabia. [continues 625 words]