Media Report: How far can Türkiye’s cannabis exception go?

In Türkiye, possessing cannabis can still mean up to five years in prison. Yet products from the same plant sit on pharmacy shelves under strict state control. The penalties remain, but a legal wall once seen as unbreakable has started to crack.

Is this just a narrow exception, or the first sign of a bigger change that could reach beyond the pharmacy?

What the law changed

In 2025, Türkiye changed its narcotics law to let the oversee cannabis-derived products. A January regulation explained how this would work. This change applies only to medical use, not recreation.

The law lists four product types: medicinal, health, personal care, and support products, including supplements. Growing cannabis is still managed by the Agriculture Ministry and needs a permit.

Each category has its own rules. Personal care and support products can have up to 0.3% THC, the primary psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant, and do not need a prescription. Medicinal and health products must be licensed by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TITCK) and are only available with a prescription through the state’s electronic system. These two types cannot be sold over the counter.

Each box is tracked with a QR code from the factory to the pharmacy. Online sales and sales outside pharmacies are banned. Authorities seize and destroy products sold without permission.

Cannabis plants and seized marijuana are displayed by the provincial gendarmerie command in Hatay, Türkiye, Oct. 14, 2026. (AA Photo)

What remains illegal

These changes do not affect recreational use. Buying, having, or using cannabis for personal reasons can lead to two to five years in prison under Article 191 of the Turkish Penal Code. The law also lets prosecutors delay charges for five years, with at least one year of probation and, if needed, treatment.

The government has made its position clear. Three days after the law came out, the Communications Directorate’s disinformation center denied that cannabis was being legalized. They said production is only legal under strict medical and industrial controls. Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu stated that cannabis-based treatments are supported by science for 15 conditions and will only be given to patients with ministry approval and a prescription.

Pedestrians walk past shops, a pharmacy and other businesses along a commercial street in Istanbul, Türkiye, Oct. 27, 2026. (Photo by Türkiye Today staff)

From the counter

Türkiye Today talked to pharmacists in Istanbul. Each one was already familiar with the issue, and customers had been asking them questions.

Pharmacist Aysegul Demir of Demir Pharmacy in Sirkeci, a historic district on the European side of Istanbul, said more people are asking for cannabis-based creams, especially for varicose veins, after trying other options. She mentioned that prescribed cannabis drops, imported from abroad, are used for children with neurological issues like epilepsy.

Another pharmacist in Istanbul, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that customers, mostly foreigners, ask to buy cannabis. “Turks already know it isn’t sold,” he explained. He also said he has no trouble obtaining creams with cannabis for varicose veins.

A third pharmacist in Istanbul, who also wished to remain anonymous, said the law only allows small amounts for making medicine and believes all sales should require a prescription and be state-controlled. He warned that if cannabis were sold without a prescription, pharmacists would have to deal with more addiction cases.

Demir holds the same view and does not support over-the-counter sales of cannabis. “It is no different from tobacco,” she said, noting the risk of accidental harm at home. However, when asked if she would sell cannabis for personal use as a smoked herbal product if it became legal, she said she would. “Of course I would sell it then. Why wouldn’t I?”