Turkey’s anti-tobacco plans to target leaf growers

In another crackdown on smokers, Turkey’s health ministry is planning to introduce measures that will make it compulsory for people to show identification cards when buying tobacco products, according to a story in the Hurriyet Daily News. It is already illegal for tobacco products to be sold in Turkey to those under 18 years of age.

As part of the National Tobacco Control Program 2015-2018, the sale of unpackaged single cigarettes will be banned, as will tobacco smoking at the entrances of shopping malls and cinemas.

The Hurriyet story, which cited a Sabah newspaper report, said the program included plans to ‘regulate the packaging of tobacco products’, and those aimed at banning covers used to conceal health warnings.

Tobacco product taxes were to be revised.

At the same time, the ministry is planning to develop its quit-smoking services, in part using web application services.

The government is planning also to give incentives to leaf tobacco producers who agree to stop growing tobacco. Those who quit tobacco production would be offered ‘alternatives to produce’, the Hurriyet story said, without going into details about what those alternatives might be.