Kratom is not legal in Turkey. The government added kratom and its main active compound, mitragynine, to the national list of controlled psychoactive substances through a decree that took effect in 2014, and it has stayed there ever since.1World Population Review. Kratom Legality by Country 2026 Possessing, using, selling, importing, or growing it is a criminal offense under the Turkish Penal Code, and foreign visitors are prosecuted under the same rules as Turkish citizens.
The Legal Basis for the Ban
Turkey’s drug framework runs through Law No. 2313 on the Control of Narcotic Drugs, which lets the government designate substances as controlled.2UNODC Laboratory and Scientific Service. Drug Laws/Individual Listing for Turkiye Kratom was brought under that framework by Decree 2013/5742. Once a substance is on the list, criminal consequences flow from the Turkish Penal Code (Law No. 5237), mainly Articles 188, 190, and 191, which separate trafficking from personal use and treat them very differently.
Penalties for Personal Possession or Use
Being caught with kratom for your own use falls under Article 191 of the Penal Code, which sets a sentence of two to five years in prison. First-time offenders usually do not go straight to prison. The public prosecutor can defer prosecution for five years and place the person on probation for at least one year, extendable in six-month increments up to three years.
Probation typically includes drug rehabilitation, regular drug testing at a hospital, and psychosocial support. The prosecutor must refer the individual to a healthcare facility at least twice a year to confirm they are staying clean. Complete the probation without violations and the case closes with a non-prosecution decision, leaving no criminal record. Violate it, or get caught with drugs again during the deferral period, and the original case moves forward with the full two-to-five-year exposure.
One provision is worth knowing: anyone who voluntarily seeks treatment before an investigation begins faces no punishment at all.
Penalties for Selling, Supplying, or Trafficking
Article 188 treats drug trafficking as one of the most serious offenses in Turkish law. Manufacturing, importing, or exporting a controlled substance without authorization can bring 20 to 30 years in prison plus substantial judicial fines. Selling, transporting, storing, or supplying a controlled substance carries a minimum of 10 years plus fines. If the offense is committed as part of an organized criminal group, the sentence increases by half. Fines can reach up to 20,000 days of judicial fines, calculated against the offender’s daily income.
Bringing Kratom Through Turkish Customs
Importing kratom into Turkey by any route is a criminal act. That covers mailing a package, carrying it in checked or carry-on luggage, and transiting through a Turkish airport. Customs officials treat even small personal-use quantities as a drug offense, and not knowing kratom is banned in Turkey is not a defense.
Importing a prohibited substance can also trigger prosecution under Turkey’s Anti-Smuggling Law (No. 5607), which carries a base penalty of one to five years in prison and fines up to 20,000 days. When the smuggled goods pose a public health risk, which controlled substances do, the penalties increase further.
Foreign nationals are held to the same standards as Turkish citizens. A drug conviction can mean serving time in a Turkish facility, deportation afterward, and a permanent entry ban. Kratom being legal or unregulated in your home country has no bearing on how Turkish authorities will treat the case.
A Warning About CBD and Cannabis Extracts
If you use other botanical products, know that Turkey’s controlled substances framework reaches well beyond kratom. Cannabis, hashish, and their extracts are classified as controlled narcotics, and that classification sweeps in many CBD products. A CBD oil, vape, or extract that qualifies as a cannabis extract or contains THC falls under the same Articles 188 and 191 as any other controlled substance.
Importing and selling CBD products is generally prohibited. Food supplements have to appear on the Ministry of Agriculture’s official restricted and approved plant lists to be sold at all. A regulated hemp framework took effect in September 2024, but it covers licensed medical and industrial production only and does not legalize over-the-counter CBD for consumers. Hemp seed oil is treated as lower risk; CBD flowers and vapes are treated as particularly problematic. A medical certificate and modest quantities may help if you use CBD for medical reasons, but they do not guarantee safe passage at the border.
If You Are Detained in Turkey
If you are a U.S. citizen arrested on a drug charge, ask the detention authorities to notify the U.S. embassy or consulate right away. A family member or friend can also contact the embassy directly on your behalf.3U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Palau. Arrest of a U.S. Citizen
The embassy can give you a list of local English-speaking attorneys, contact your family or employer with your written permission, visit you in detention, help confirm you are getting appropriate medical care, and set up a trust account so family can send funds. Consular staff can also walk you through how the Turkish criminal process generally works.
What the embassy cannot do is just as important. Consular officials cannot get you out of jail, represent you in court, give legal advice, serve as interpreters, or pay your legal or medical bills. A drug case in Turkey means working through the Turkish courts with a local attorney, and proceedings can take months to resolve. Citizens of other countries should contact their own embassies, which generally offer similar services.