Question: Cannabis in Syria was under the policy of the government of a President holding the office since when?
Sentence (from "Bashar al-Assad"): Bashar Hafez al-Assad (Arabic: بشار حافظ الأسد‎ ‎ "Baššār Ḥāfiẓ al-ʾAsad ", ] ;    ; born 11 September 1965) is the 19th and current President of Syria, holding the office since 17 July 2000.
Relevant evidence: Yes