Turkey to Expand Cannabis Use to Pharmaceutical Sector

Included in a legislative package recently submitted to the parliament, the regulation includes expanding the scope of cannabis cultivation to cover pharmaceutical and health care products, supplements and personal care items.

The objective is to meet the demand for raw materials from controlled domestic production.

Ensuring product control and safety, sales will be limited to licensed pharmacies only.

The plant’s versatility has already made it a valuable resource across sectors.

It is already being used in a wide range of industries in Turkey, including automotive manufacturing, where it is used for natural fiber components, as well as construction, textiles, paper industry and biofuel.

Currently, licensed cultivation of industrial cannabis is permitted in 19 of the country's 81 provinces.

Officials say cultivation may be extended to other provinces in the future.

Professor Selim Aytaç, a leading expert on cannabis in Turkey, emphasized the importance of keeping pace with international developments.

As long as safety and monitoring are ensured, Turkey’s agricultural lands are well-suited for production, according to Aytaç.

“We must build a strategy that carries us from cultivation to high-value final products,” he said. “That’s how both producers and the country can benefit.”

Turkey’s cannabis production had nearly ceased by 2018 after a sharp decline in the early 2000s.

However, interest surged again following a public call by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2019, encouraging farmers to resume cultivation.

Since then, production has rapidly increased, from 280 tons in 2020 to more than 1,700 tons in 2024.

Source: HDN