Türkiye has limited its annual hemp cultivation to 5,000 square meters and 120,000 plants for the production of pharmaceutical active ingredients, as per a presidential decree published Wednesday in the Official Gazette.
The decree outlines that the hemp cultivation quota, set at 5,000 square meters and 120,000 plants annually, applies exclusively to hemp grown for medical active ingredients. Exempt from these restrictions are universities, research institutes within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and organizations with research permits, which may conduct scientific and R&D projects without being subject to the quota. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will oversee the allocation of the quota.
The cultivation and usage of hemp have been widely debated in Türkiye, with experts and officials considering its economic and medicinal potential. Industrial hemp is increasingly viewed as an attractive crop for Türkiye, which relies on imports of synthetic raw materials for sectors like automotive, textiles, pharmaceuticals and paper production.
Hemp has a deep historical connection to Central Asia, where it has been cultivated for 8,000 years, the region of origin for Turkic people. Historical records, including Chinese texts dating back to 2000 B.C., reference its medicinal use, which was also documented by physician Avicenna and embraced by the Seljuks and Ottomans. The 20th-century Swiss Islamic scholar Rudolf Gelpke highlighted hemp’s significant role in Islamic art and literature, describing its influence on cultural practices in the region.
Historically, cannabis was not foreign to Turkish agriculture. Until 1971, Türkiye was one of the world’s top producers, but U.S. political pressure led to reduced cultivation under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel, who had previously resisted such measures. Demirel famously pointed to the economic importance of poppy cultivation in 20 Turkish cities, including in Afyon (meaning “Opium”), where poppy farming supported around 70,000 rural families, making eradication unfeasible.
However, a 1971 military intervention led to restrictions on hash production under Prime Minister Nihat Erim. In 1974, Bülent Ecevit, in coalition with Necmettin Erbakan, reinstated hash production, prompting a U.S. embargo in response.
Currently, hemp cultivation in the country is minimal, with Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data showing only 87.5 hectares cultivated in 2000, producing 140 tons of seeds and 2,500 tons of fiber. By 2016, cultivation had dropped to just 0.25 hectares, yielding only 1 ton of seeds and 7 tons of fiber.
