Turkey

In 2008, Turkey passed a law banning smoking in all indoor public places, including bars, cafés, and restaurants. Compliance studies in 2012 and 2016 showed that secondhand smoke remained a serious burden for Turkey’s public health.

In February 2015, the Turkish Ministry of Health released a circular, proposing a ban on the use of tobacco and tobacco products within at least five meters of the entrance to public buildings. We, therefore, assessed the compliance level of outdoor areas of venues in this study.

Researchers evaluated exposure to secondhand smoke in waterpipe (or hookah) venues by measuring secondhand smoke constituents in air and exposure biomarkers in venue employees in Egypt, Russia (русский) and Turkey.

This fact sheet reports the opinions and perception of smoke-free laws and compliance in Turkey. Researchers surveyed school principals and hospitality owners and employees in seven cities, identifying opportunities for improving implementation.

These fact sheets are the results of in-depth evaluation of compliance with smoke-free laws in 12 cities in Turkey, using the guide Assessing Compliance with Smoke-free Laws.