New regulations are coming in the fight against tobacco

Pointing out that approximately 7 million people die every year due to reasons related to tobacco use, Ergüder stated that tobacco use rates decreased in many countries after the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control came into force.

Reminding that Türkiye has also taken important steps in the fight against tobacco, that the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was signed in 2003, and that the regulation banning smoking in closed areas was implemented in 2008, Ergüder emphasized that an exemplary fight was displayed to the whole world.

Explaining that despite the general downward trend in the world in recent years, there has been an increase in tobacco use in Türkiye again, Ergüder pointed out the usage rates especially among women and young people.

Prof. Dr. Ergüder emphasized that smoking among women has increased significantly in the last 10-15 years and said, "The increase in the smoking rate among women is around 40-50 percent. The usage rate among women in the 15-24 age group has exceeded 90 percent." he said.

Stating that the new law proposal, which the Ministry of Health has been working on for about a year, will be presented to the Parliament in October, Ergüder said, "As a country, we need to shake up again and review the policies." he said.

Underlining that cigarette sales in Türkiye have increased in recent years, Ergüder stated that cigarette sales, which were approximately 91 thousand tons and 4.5 billion packages in 2012, reached approximately 160 thousand tons and 8 billion packages in 2025.

Source: TRT Haber Sağlık RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)