Public sales of cyanide compounds banned in Turkey after multiple suicides

Turkey's government on Friday moved to ban sales of cyanide compounds to the public in the wake of suicides using the deadly substance.

Changes to the regulations on sales of cyanide require an end-user certificate, said the Environment and Urbanization Ministry.

Under the regulations published in Turkey’s Official Gazette, sales of a host of substances are now controlled, including hydrogen cyanide, hydrocyanic acid, calcium cyanide, and cadmium cyanide.

Under the rules, cyanide compounds will not be placed on the market for sale to the public through the internet or in any electronic medium, and all packaging will include the phrase “For professional and industrial use only.”

The mandatory end-user certificates show what company used the compound, in what amount, and for what purpose, and that it will not be placed on the market for public sale.

In November, cyanide was linked to three suicides of families in Turkey.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit