Turkey takes the plunge into medical cannabis

Over the past five years Turkey has sharply increased its hemp production. The government now seems ready to take the next step by adding Cannabis to pharmaceutical uses via a bill recently submitted to Parliament.

If approved, this measure will make it possible to use controlled domestic cannabis production to supply raw materials for medical and therapeutic products. To ensure strict monitoring, distribution will be limited to authorized pharmacies.

A plant of growing economic value

Already used in various sectors in Turkey, including the’automotive, the construction, the textile, the paper and biofuels, the Cannabis has become a valuable crop of ever-increasing economic importance. The new regulations mark a strategic shift towards higher value-added applications, bringing Turkey into line with the global dynamic around the medical marijuana.

«We need to develop a strategy that takes us from cultivation to high value-added finished products. That way, both producers and the country will benefit.»said Professor Selim Aytaç, a leading academic expert on cannabis, cited by the Turkish press.

He also stressed the importance of the’international alignment and avoid falling behind global developments in this sector.

The country's current dynamism is rooted in a radical change in policy that began in 2019, when the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly encouraged the revival of cannabis cultivation, after decades of decline. This call triggered a rapid expansion: according to official figures, production rose from 280 tonnes in 2020 to over 1,700 tonnes in 2024.

The industrial Cannabis cultivation is currently authorized in 19 of Turkey's 81 provinces, and there are plans to extend these authorizations to other regions. According to officials, this expansion is part of a broader vision to revitalize rural economies while positioning Turkey as a player in the’emerging global medical cannabis industry.

A regulated development focused on safety

One of the key features of the proposed healthcare regulations is the emphasis on regulatory control. Only the approved entities will be authorized to handle the plant for pharmaceutical purposes, and products derived from it will be available exclusively in pharmacies.

The strategy also aims to prevent the unregulated marketing of cannabis, focusing instead on scientifically validated applications. In this way, Turkey intends to avoid the pitfalls encountered in other markets, where the legal status of cannabis has sometimes preceded the introduction of regulations.

Although the bill has yet to be approved by Parliament, the direction is clear: Turkey is no longer focusing solely on industrial cannabis.