Turkey readies for smoking ban

Turkey will on Sunday introduce a tight ban on smoking in cafes, restaurants and bars, wielding fines for offenders, in a bid to break a national habit blamed for tens of thousands of deaths each year.

The ban is an extension of existing legislation introduced by the Islamist-rooted government, which prohibited smoking in workplaces and public spaces in May last year while giving cafes and restaurants 18 months to adjust.

Now that the transition period expires on July 19, the owners of these establishments have to clear up ashtrays, put up signs against smoking and refuse to serve clients who insist on lighting up.

Although the legislation allows smoking in the courtyards of these premises, the site in question should not be covered with even a sunshade or awning in order to qualify as an open space.

Non-compliance with the ban will result in a fine of 69 liras (45 dollars, 32 euros) for smokers while the establishment itself will have to pay 560 liras for a first-time offence and up to 5,600 liras for repeat offences.

Official statistics say almost one in three Turkish adults smoke — a rate that reaches 48 percent among men — putting the country in 10th place in tobacco consumption in the world.

Smoking-related illnesses are reponsible for nearly 100,000 deaths a year, according to the Turkish Temperance Society.

Owners of bars and cafes have long been appealing for a delay in the introduction of the ban, especially in the midst of an economic crisis, but the health ministry has refused to budge and drafted in some 5,000 inspectors to make sure it is implemented.

Recent surveys suggest the majority of the Turkish public is behind the ban, but there is hardly any enthusiasm at a traditional coffee house in Tomtom Kaptan in Istanbul where patrons play cards or dominos with cigarettes hanging from the corners of their mouths.