Medical cannabis in Turkey (2026)

Turkey changed its cannabis rules substantially in 2025 and 2026. Parliament amended the narcotics law in July 2025 and two new regulations followed in January 2026. There is now one rule for cannabis-derived medicines, health products, support products and cosmetics: they may only be sold in pharmacies. This article summarises the new framework point by point, based on the official texts.

In short. Law No. 7557 amended Article 23 of Law No. 2313 (Official Gazette, 24 July 2025). On 31 January 2026, the Official Gazette published the Ministry of Health's "Regulation on Products Obtained from Cannabis" and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's "Regulation on Cannabis Cultivation and Control". Products fall into four types, all need a licence or a notification, and all are sold in pharmacies only. Medicinal products and health products require a prescription issued through the national e-prescription system (Reçetem).

Is medical cannabis legal in Turkey? The 2025 law and the 2026 regulations

Yes, within a strict framework. The legal basis is Law No. 2313 on the Control of Narcotic Drugs, dating from 1933. Its Article 23 was amended by Article 9 of Law No. 7557, published in Official Gazette No. 32965 on 24 July 2025. Under the new text, cannabis-derived medicinal products, health products, personal care products and support products are licensed or registered by the Ministry of Health, and "these products may only be sold in pharmacies".

The details came with two regulations published in Official Gazette No. 33154 on 31 January 2026:

• Regulation on Products Obtained from Cannabis (Ministry of Health): product types, licensing, QR-code tracking, sales and export. The competent authority is the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK).
• Regulation on Cannabis Cultivation and Control (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry): where, by whom and with which permit cannabis may be grown. It replaces the 2016 cultivation regulation.

For the difference between hemp, cannabis and marijuana, see our article on hemp, cannabis, indica and marijuana.

Four product types

The regulation splits cannabis-derived products into four types. The type determines how a product is licensed and whether a prescription is needed.

For support products, the licence application must include an analysis report from a TSE ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory showing that THC does not exceed 0.3%. We explain how to read such a report in how to read a CBD certificate of analysis, and why THC values are calculated differently in total THC or delta-9 THC.

Where and how to buy: pharmacy, prescription and QR code

• Pharmacy only: all four types may only be sold in pharmacies. Article 34 of the regulation repeats this.
• Prescription: medicinal products and health products are only dispensed against a prescription issued through the Reçetem system. They may not be sold without one.
• No prescription, but still a pharmacy: support products and personal care products need no prescription, but they cannot be sold outside pharmacies either.
• QR code: health and support products are tracked by QR code. Licence holders, pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacies report every movement from production to sale.
• Unauthorised sales: products sold or held in breach of these rules are seized and destroyed.

What about "CBD oil" sold online?

The law and the regulation are clear: cannabis-derived products in these four types may not be sold outside pharmacies. A product sold on a website, through social media, at a herbalist or in a shop and claiming to contain cannabinoids falls outside this system. You cannot know whether it has a licence or a cosmetic notification, what it really contains or how much THC it has.

Oil pressed from hemp seeds is a different product. It contains none of the flower's cannabinoids and is sold as food or cosmetics. We explain the difference in hemp seed oil vs CBD oil. For the nutritional values of the seeds, see our hemp seeds article.

We did not find an explicit provision in the regulation on bringing CBD products into Turkey from abroad. Ask a lawyer or TİTCK for a definite answer.

Growing hemp: in which provinces is it allowed?

Growing cannabis in Turkey still requires a permit. Under the new cultivation regulation, cultivation for fibre, seed and stalk is only possible, with a permit, in these 21 provinces:

Amasya, Antalya, Bartın, Burdur, Çorum, İzmir, Karabük, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Konya, Kütahya, Malatya, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, Sivas, Tokat, Uşak, Yozgat and Zonguldak.

• The other 60 provinces: cultivation is prohibited. The ministry may add provinces where needed.
• Application period: 1 January to 1 April each year.
• Fibre, seed and stalk: applications go to the district governor's office where cultivation will take place. Required documents include a criminal record extract, a farmer registration certificate, a sketch of the plot and a seed certificate proving a non-narcotic variety. The permit covers one growing season.
• Medicinal and health products: applications go to the Turkish Grain Board (TMO). The President sets the cultivation quota. Cultivation may take place at TMO's Afyon Alkaloids Factory, in organised agricultural zones or in provinces with licensed production facilities. Permit holders must start cultivation within 18 months.
• Unauthorised cultivation: punishable by a judicial fine under Law No. 2313. Cultivation to produce cannabis as a drug carries four to twelve years in prison.

When will products be in pharmacies?

As of November 2026, we could not find an official list of cannabis-derived health or support products licensed by TİTCK. Under the regulation, the first commercial batch of a licensed product must be placed on the market within thirty months, otherwise the licence may be suspended. Holders of medicinal cultivation permits must start growing within 18 months. In other words, the rules are in force, but pharmacy shelves depend on the licensing procedures.

The most reliable sources for licensed products are TİTCK announcements and your pharmacist. A product without a QR code sold outside a pharmacy is not part of this system.

Turkey, Germany and Spain compared

For details, see our articles on medical cannabis in Germany and medical cannabis in Spain.

Sources

• Law No. 7557, Official Gazette 24 July 2025, No. 32965 (resmigazete.gov.tr)
• Regulation on Products Obtained from Cannabis and Regulation on Cannabis Cultivation and Control, Official Gazette 31 January 2026, No. 33154 (resmigazete.gov.tr)
• Hukukçular Evi, "Products obtained from cannabis: licensing, prescription and sales regime" (hukukcularevi.com, in Turkish), accessed 9 November 2026
• Tarım Dünyası, "New legislation in hemp production", 5 February 2026 (tarimdunyasi.net, in Turkish)