By Samantha Lewis

Three people were recently sentenced to 30 years in prison in Tunisia for cannabis use. The ruling administration has fueled public debate in the country, and Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi responded on February 1.

The sentences, handed down on 20 January by a court in Kef in the north, were related to the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes and the possession of small quantities of the drug in public places, the head of Tunisia's criminal justice ministry told AFP news agency on 31 January. Convictions for cannabis use have sparked a heated debate over laws across the country.