Turkey Bans Imports of E-Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products
In October 2017, Turkey announced it would withdraw plans to start importing and producing heated tobacco and e-cigarette products. Anti-smoking experts said the move would hurt public health.
In October 2017, Turkey announced that it was withdrawing its plan to begin importing and producing heat-not-burn (HnB) products and e-cigarettes. Anti-smoking experts pointed out that this move would be unfavorable to public health, but regrettably, the World Health Organization expressed approval.
Later, it was reported that last summer the Ministry of Health was drafting legislation to fully implement a ban on e-cigarettes. In September, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that the ministry and customs officials were working to ban the import of e-cigarettes into the country.
The ban was finalized last month and is now in effect. It covers all electronic devices, including vapor products, heated tobacco HNB products, and all related accessories, parts, and cartridges.
E-cigarettes are banned while cigarettes are still allowed
Meanwhile, estimates published by The Tobacco Atlas, a leading resource on tobacco use and its impact on global health, show that in Turkey an astonishing 14.5 million adults and 252,000 children use tobacco every day, leading to about 83,100 deaths each year from tobacco-related diseases.
Unfortunately, although cigarettes continue to be widely sold nationwide, safer alternatives that could potentially save these lives have already been banned. In contrast, UK lawmakers and scientists have repeatedly pointed to the relative safety of e-cigarettes and encouraged smokers to switch. Because of this approach, the UK has managed to maintain its lowest smoking rates in decades over the past two years.
