A month before the smoking ban takes effect, the latest figures show Turks smoke 15 million packets of cigarettes a day
The government's efforts to limit cigarette smoking and the harm it causes seem to be failing.

Recent figures show the daily consumption of cigarettes in Turkey has reached 15 million packs a month, just one month before a ban comes into effect.

The ban, due to take effect May 19, will outlaw smoking in bars, restaurants, coffee houses and the gardens of schools.

According to official figures, the cigarette industry was one of the few sectors not hurt by the economic crisis in late ‘90s and early 2000. In 1998, cigarette consumption stood at 108.6 billion cigarettes, increasing to 114.4 billion in 1999, 111.7 billion in 2000, 111.8 billion in 2001 and 110 billion in 2002. Since 2003, there has been a downward trend, with consumption dropping to 108.2 billion in 2003, 108.9 billion in 2004, 106.7 billion in 2005, 107.9 billion in 2006 and 107.5 billion in 2007.

The statistics show the annual per capita cigarette consumption is 76.1 packets in Turkey, with a daily consumption rate of 4.2 cigarettes.

While Turks spend YTL 45.2 million ($34.5 million) a day on cigarettes, the state spends YTL 18.1 million ($13.1 million) a day on smoking-related diseases. The health expenditure does not cover private expenditures of individuals, insurance companies or other institutions.

The head of the Regulatory Committee for Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Alcoholic Beverages Market (TAPDK), Kazım Çalışkan, speaking to the Anatolia news agency, said cigarette sales had been consistent in recent years, and noted that once the population increase is taken into account, one could say average consumption had somewhat decreased.

Çalışkan said there was an increase in the consumption of inexpensive cigarettes, sold at prices below YTL 2.5 per packet. “In January, 450 million inexpensive cigarettes were sold. In February, this figure increased to 630 million,” he said, noting that there was a comparable decrease in the sales of more expensive cigarettes.

Consumers are shifting toward cheaper brands, he said. “Some 54.9 of cigarettes sold are cheaper brands,” he added.

Turkish Parliament approved a law on Jan. 3 extending a smoking ban to all bars, restaurants and coffeehouses by mid-2009. The new law will prohibit smoking in all enclosed public areas next year.Smoking on buses, airplanes and large offices is already banned in Turkey, and within on May 19, it will be prohibited on taxis, ferries, trains and some open-air locations such as stadiums and playgrounds.Turkey is the eighth-biggest cigarette market in the world, where nearly 60 percent of male adults are estimated to smoke. The World Health Organization says 80 percent of tobacco-related deaths will occur within a few decades in developing countries like Turkey, as consumption levels off or even falls in mature world markets. China alone accounts for one third of total cigarette consumption.Anti-smoking campaigners hope Turkey's tobacco consumption will fall by at least 10 percent as the ban in public buildings begins next month, and a wider ban takes effect in mid-2009.The government hopes to change European Union candidate Turkey's image as a haven for smokers. "Smoking like a Turk" is a popular phrase used for heavy smokers in some Western countries.

source:Turkish Daily News

I am not sure you will convince Turks to stop smoking even when the ban goes into affect. I can't even imagine a Turk telling another Turk to please stop smoking because there is a ban. It just doesn't seem likely to me.

That reminds me of when I went to Turkey and found out that it was so normal to smoke anywhere..I remember the first night I went out for dinner with my turkish friends.. ohh gosh! I could see clouds of smoke all over the restaurant and I asked them if we could sit on a non-smoking area.. they looked at me with a funny look and said, there is not non-smoking areas in this place..We went upstairs coz the place was packed, this was even worst but I had to deal with the fact of breathing polluted air while having dinner.. it was just terrible!! and it was the same in most eating places we went to...

I couldnt make my friends stop smoking while I was in Turkey, not even for a couple of hours and when I got back home and opened my luggage.. gosh! all my clothes smelled like cigarrete..yuuuck!

In Germany is the same. In German restaurants you are welcome to share the same table with others. (That is a German custom. Definitely not in England and USA). - - Here Germans and Turks have the same habit of smoking at the dinner table. Old customs won't change. At least they don't smoke in the planes anymore.

I agree not smoking in enclosed public spaces, but my god a bar...that's ridiculous. People who don't even smoke, sometimes have a cigy with a beer. I know here even in the VFW halls, private veterans of war clubs the same thing anti smoking. These people have raised a fit..if it's a private club, the owner should be able to make that decision. Again, another example of how the goverment is slowly taking our rights away.

I know smokers hate this law but as a non-smoker, I am thankful for it. So nice to stop in for a beer and not have to worry about dry-cleaning your suit or whatever clothes you are wearing....

I don't think smokers hate this law, I think it's common respect to not smoke around non-smokers. Where I have a problem is where the government intercepts and places conditions on PRIVATE bars and clubs. We are going through a nanny era, where the government thinks they need to require us to wear a seat belt, wear a bike helmet etc..now smoking. What next? Our rights are being taken away right before us. Whether it directly affects you or not it's reality.

I'm what we call a "recycled virgin" when it comes to smoking as I quit in January. Still, I find it unfair for government to ban people form smoking in, like Teas said it, private clubs and pubs. I do understand that smoking is unhealthy but that's why cigarettes are sold to adults able to make a reasonable decision about their health.

I quite liked the idea of separate rooms in pubs and restaurants for smokers and non-smokers as I can understand that non-smokers hate the cigarette reek. Banning smoking everywhere seems unfair. And I doubt it will ever be respected in Turkey - I was shocked to see Turks smoke everywhere. I also remember astonished expression on a waiter's face when I asked him if I could smoke in the restaurant I was having dinner in. His face couldn't believe somebody might ask about it

I'm shocked that Turkey would bring in such a rule. even though i hate smoking and like going out and not coming home smelling like smoke, its part of turkish culture almost. when i was there in 2006 i was amazed to see salesmen in a store inside a major shopping centre smoking.

I live in the u.k where we have a smoking ban in public places. I think this a great idea and I am a smoker. I dont see why others should be made to suffer because of my bad habit. If out at resturants and bars if I want to smoke I simply step outside. And now many resturants and bars provide a seating area outside with patio heaters and blankets so us smokers dont get cold. It hasn't stopped me smoking but I do smoke less when I am out. I would never dream of lighting up a cigarette in the home of non smokers.

If the ban is meant to make people quit smoking, it is rather useless. People who are addict will either just go outside the bar to smoke, or they wont come at all. I know I wouldnt when the weather is cold!

I suggest seperate areas for smokers, and they can make a special ventilation system. They have them in some places here, but they are rather noisy. Let them technicians work some more to create a silent havalandırma, so we can have our smoke and you your beer!

Thank you very much for the warm welcome and advice thehandsom

You are very diligent in your duties and I see you wasted no time in sending me a PM

I look forward to discovering more about Turkey!