Medicines produced from cannabis will be available for sale in pharmacies

The bill, which contains many important regulations in the field of health and consists of 29 articles in total, has been passed by the General Assembly of the TBMM. The proposal, which bears the signatures of AKP deputies, introduces innovations in many areas ranging from health professions to family medicine, and from pharmacy products to organ donation.

With the new regulation, it is aimed to increase the number of family physicians working in the field. For this purpose, a new training model will be created under the name of "field family medicine specialization." Doctors working as contracted family physicians until January 1, 2025, will be able to receive specialization training without the need for central placement. These trainings, which will be conducted remotely or part-time, will last at least 6 years. However, for those who have worked as contracted family physicians for 5 years, this period will be at least 4 years. During this training process, doctors will not be able to benefit from motivation-enhancing payments, excluding certain additional payments made through the revolving fund.

In addition, some titles in vocational high schools for health are being reorganized. The titles of "nurse assistant" and "midwife assistant" are being abolished. Graduates of these departments will now be classified as "health care technicians." Similarly, the title of "dental prosthesis technician" will also be restructured to make it suitable for vocational high schools for health.

PRODUCTS PRODUCED FROM CANNABIS ENTER PHARMACIES

Another article that draws attention within the scope of the law is related to cannabis. With the amendment made to the Law on the Control of Narcotic Substances, medical products derived from cannabis will now only be available from pharmacies. The production, licensing, and integration of these products into the tracking system will be under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health. The details of processes such as sales permits, processing, preparation, and export will be determined by a regulation to be prepared by the Ministry of Health in line with the opinions of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Furthermore, it is becoming mandatory for human medicinal products and special-purpose foods in the supply chain to be fully reported to the system to be determined by the Ministry of Health. License holders who do not comply with this rule will be subject to a fine equal to twice the total sales price of the products in the warehouse when a violation is detected. In case of repetition of the same violation within one year, the fine will be doubled.

A NEW ERA IN THE ORGAN DONATION PROCESS

With the law, remarkable innovations are also being introduced regarding organ donation. Healthy individuals will now be able to declare that they donate all their organs and tissues for treatment or scientific purposes via e-Devlet or Ministry of Health systems with secure identity verification. Those who wish can also make their written wills valid in the presence of two witnesses.

If the donor has a declaration, the decision made by the person while alive will be taken as the basis, even if their relatives object to organ donation after death. If there is no donation declaration, the deceased person's spouse, children, parents, siblings, or relatives will be able to make the decision in order of priority. First-degree relatives of individuals who donate their organs will be given priority in case they require a transplant in the future.

Organ donation declarations will be recorded in the central system in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law. These declarations will not be disclosed to anyone other than the persons previously specified by the donor before brain death occurs.

With the new regulations, the path to specialization in the health system is being opened, and the control of sensitive products such as cannabis is being tightened. At the same time, with the encouragement of organ donation, a more systematic and secure structure is aimed for in vital health practices.