After the "Symposium on Local Governments in the Presidential Government System" held on January 9, 2019, the issue of cannabis production in Türkiye was reconsidered, and the "Report and Action Plan on Industrial Cannabis Cultivation in Türkiye" was prepared, and legislative regulations and incentives have been provided, and especially the production of fibers, seeds and stems were supported.
On April 5, 2023, another important step was taken regarding Article 1 of the Law Amending the Forestry Law and Certain Laws, which was published in the Official Gazette and entered into force. Within the scope of the relevant article, the cultivation of cannabis to produce fiber, seeds and stems, and the production of flowers and leaves for the production of pharmaceutical active ingredients have become subject to the permission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and within this framework, the Turkish Grain Board was assigned responsibility for the cultivation and/or processing of cannabis for pharmaceutical production.
Within the framework of the regulation to be prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Turkish Grain Board will be able to carry out the cultivation and/or processing of cannabis itself, as well as real or legal persons, when necessary, in accordance with the quotas determined on the basis of supply and demand in Türkiye. In this regard, cannabis cultivation was authorized to support the development of cannabis cultivation in Türkiye and to produce pharmaceutical active ingredients.
In November 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry prepared the "Draft Regulation on the Cultivation and Control of Cannabis for the Production of Pharmaceutical Active Ingredients" to take necessary measures to prevent the illicit production of marijuana in the cultivation of cannabis for the production of pharmaceutical active ingredients and to establish the procedures and principles for the harvesting, processing, exportation, exportation or selling of cannabis.
Considering that the field of activity of the Ministry of Health is directly related to the production process of pharmaceutical active ingredients, it is expected that new and more comprehensive regulations will be developed by both the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Health to meet the needs arising from practice in the field of cannabis cultivation to produce pharmaceutical active ingredients in 2024. Since Türkiye's procedures for marketing authorization and supply of medicines to the market is in parallel with the European Union (EU) and its close trade relations with the EU, it is expected that steps will be taken to align legislation on the cultivation of cannabis to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients with the EU over time.
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