Turkey Ranks 8th in World Economic Forum Report on Smoking

Source from:  TODAY'S ZAMAN 07/21/2015

In a new report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) that ranks countries based on number of cigarettes smoked, Turkey was ranked eighth, despite the government's efforts to curb smoking.

While tobacco consumption in the West seems to be on the decline, new research suggests that it is on the rise globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), of the world's 1 billion smokers, almost 80 percent live in low or middle-income countries.

A total of 5.8 trillion cigarettes were reported to have been smoked in 2014, with China, Russia and the US being the countries that smoked the most, respectively.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the issue during his time as prime minister, with an amendment to Law 4207 on the Prevention and Control of Hazards of Tobacco Products passed in Parliament on Jan. 3, 2008. With the amendment, the indoor smoking ban calls for a TL 69 fine for those caught smoking in a prohibited area, and a fine of TL 5,600 for business owners who allow it to happen.

Another amendment to the anti-smoking law, which banned "brand stretching," the indirect advertising of cigarette brands, passed in Parliament on July 4, 2012.

However, these amendments have proven to be ineffective deterrents, as indicated by the recent report. Enditem