Tobacco control in Turkey

Smoking is a serious health problem in Turkey, causing one tenth of all disability-adjusted life years lost. This report outlines the current state of tobacco-smoking in Turkey, including health and social aspects, epidemiological data and economic, legal and political issues. Until recently one of the major tobacco-producing countries of the world, Turkey has made substantial progress in tobacco control in a short time. It ratified the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control in 2004, and substantially amended a 1996 law in 2008 to become one of the most advanced tobacco control laws in the world. Even so, about one third of the population still smokes, despite a slight decrease over the last 15 years. This report should serve as a baseline on the status of tobacco, tobacco use and related control activities in Turkey and can be used to monitor future developments in tobacco control in the country.