Yes it's correct. A smoking ban in enclosed places came into effect on Jan 1.However the same ban was introduced around four years ago and nobody took any notice including all the officials that were supposed to enforce it.Nobody has taken a blind bit of notice so if you smoke then you can carry on.

Ian

Turkey is a nation of smokers or so it seems. It is estimated that of the population of 71 million some 60 percent of men, 20 percent of women, and 12 percent of schoolchildren smoke. It's no surprise then to learn that Turkey is the 7th highest market when it comes to sales of cigarettes. It is estimated that 6 trillion cigarettes are sold in Turkey each year.

Turkish health officials say cigarettes represent a serious health concern for the country where some 100,000 people a year suffer from smoking related illnesses or death. They say Turkey must modernize its health standards so they match Europe. Employers also complain that the average worker wastes around 20% of their working day on ‘fag breaks'.

The Turkish Government agrees with these points and is currently taking a bill through parliament to introduce a smoking ban in workplaces, bars, coffee houses, restaurants and anywhere ‘enclosed'. The draft bill even includes a law to stop car drivers carrying one or more other people from smoking in the car, although is probably included to cause debate on the wider issue more than anything else.

But with such a high proportion of the population smoking and the culture of a 'fag with everything' the government bill could face an up hill struggle.

We'll wait and see how the final law looks but the days of ‘smoking like a Turk in Turkey' could soon be drawing to a close.

I flew to Adana in December and saw the no smoking sign with the fine, at the airport. Under the sign i saw a worker in the duty free shop together with the someone in a police uniform smoking!!!!

I think you will find that a lot of things are set to change in Turkey ,example the recent lifting of the ban on wearing the hidjab (headscarf)there is no telling what this turkish goverment will do next .The ban on smoking is in place just now and being enforced in certain places .

Thanks for that bluepeterno1 is that in certain resorts or certain bars and restaurants.

Jim.

Well a turkish friend of mine who lives in belek and keeps in touch with me by e mail and telephone ,has told me that a lot of the bigger places in Antalya have started to enforce the ban but most of the smaller places are flaunting it and some have already been fined on the spot ,at the moment it looks like a lot of things in Turkey ,it's who you know .or better still who you pay.

Lol bluepeterno1 I guessed as much. Thanks again.

Jim.

Yeh my friend was manager of pleasure club in icmeler and he was smoking and also his barstaff && lots of tourists and that was in an enclosed club!
we all know turkish people dont really take much notice of their laws.. you've all been in the taxi's, do taxi drivers actually function not to see traffic lights??? they go crazy and completely ignore the rules of the road.
Also, we have all seen whats happened with the music ban after 1am?? or 12 in some places, they just wait until the police have drove away and turn it back up again, so in all fairness i dont think this will make any difference