A Cannabis Warning From the Turkish Medical Association: Limited Medical Use, No Market for Personal Use

In July 2025, while legal provisions on cannabis were being debated in parliament, the TTB, the doctors' professional body, published an opinion note looking at the issue from a public health perspective. In this article we go through, in order, when and why the note was written, what the TTB said, what scientific research shows on these issues, and what happened afterward.

When and why was the warning issued?

In July 2025, parliament was debating the "Bill Amending Certain Health-Related Laws and Decree Law No. 663" (2/3174). The bill paved the way for the production and pharmacy sale of medical products, health products, personal care products and support products obtained from cannabis. The TTB was asked questions about these provisions, and the TTB Tobacco Control Working Group shared its answers with the public on July 18, 2025, as an "Information and Opinion Note."

What is in the TTB's opinion note?

The points below are summarized from the TTB's note; the views are the TTB's own.

• Cannabis is a complex plant: According to the TTB, cannabis contains about 400 chemical substances, 60 of them cannabinoids. It states that its two best-known components, THC and CBD, can have opposite effects, and that psychotic disorders develop more often in people who use it at high doses and for a long time.
• Medical use is limited: It says that medical use of cannabis is allowed in some countries, but that it has only a limited effect in treating a few diseases. It notes that it is used on the grounds that it eases some symptoms, without solid evidence of safety and efficacy, and that the most commonly reported side effects are dizziness, dry mouth, disorientation, euphoria, clouding of consciousness and drowsiness.
• Risks of recreational use: In the short term, impaired consciousness and perception are listed; in the long term, problems such as addiction, psychosis and depression. The note stresses that the effects of cannabis can be much stronger in people with a family predisposition to psychotic disorders, and that young people's mental health in particular is harmed.
• Traffic safety: The TTB states that people who use cannabis are involved in traffic accidents more often.
• Process: It says that when the regulation is being drawn up, the views of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, professional bodies and relevant associations should be sought, and that international experience and evidence-based approaches should be drawn on.
• Clear message: No cannabis market allowing personal use, especially for support and cosmetic products, should be created beyond restricted medical use; the cannabis provisions should be removed from the bill until the issue has been fully worked out with all parties.

What does scientific research say on these issues?

The two risks the TTB highlighted, psychosis and traffic accidents, have long been studied. Almost all of these studies concern marijuana containing THC; pure CBD is not intoxicating, but the same risks apply to products containing THC.

• Psychosis: A meta-analysis pooling ten studies and about 67,000 people found that the risk of psychosis rose as cannabis use increased. In the heaviest users, the risk was about 4 times higher than in people who had never used it. The authors state that a cause-and-effect relationship could not be firmly established, but that there is enough evidence for harm-reduction programs (Marconi 2016).
• Traffic: A recent meta-analysis pooling 21 observational studies found that driving under the influence of cannabis raises the risk of a crash to a low-to-moderate degree (about 36% higher odds). The risk relates to driving while under the influence of cannabis (Rogeberg 2016).

We explain the difference between pure CBD and THC-containing products when it comes to CBD and driving in our driving guide, and what THC is in our article the difference between THC and CBD.

What happened next?

Three days after the TTB's note, on July 21, 2025, the bill was passed together with the cannabis provisions and was published in the Official Gazette on July 24, 2025, as Law No. 7557. The law gave the Ministry of Health responsibility for licensing and tracking medical products, health products, personal care products and support products obtained from cannabis, and ruled that these products can be sold only in pharmacies. The details were set by the Kenevirden Elde Edilen Ürünlere Dair Yönetmelik (Regulation on Products Derived from Hemp) published on January 31, 2026. In this way, the support and personal care products the TTB opposed were also defined as a legal category.

Products obtained from cannabis, including CBD, can be sold only in pharmacies (Law No. 7557, regulation of January 31, 2026). Those in the medicine and health product category are dispensed with a prescription; no prescription requirement is stated for support products with a THC content of no more than 0.3%. As of October 2026, there is no approved (licensed) CBD medicine in Turkey. Current rules: Regulation guide.

If you are thinking about using CBD

The TTB's warning is a reminder that decisions about cannabis should be based on evidence; this applies to individual patients too. If you are thinking about using CBD, you can talk with your doctor about:

• What research on CBD shows for your situation,
• Possible interactions with medicines you take (see drug interactions),
• Whether the product contains THC, especially for young people, people with a family history of psychotic illness and people who drive,
• The importance of buying the product only from a pharmacy and only as a licensed product.

Conclusion

In July 2025, the TTB argued that the medical effect of cannabis is limited, that it carries risks for young people and traffic safety, and that no market open to personal use should be created. The law was passed anyway; today cannabis products can be sold only in pharmacies, under strict rules. The core of the warning, that every step should be based on scientific evidence, still holds.

Frequently asked questions

References