After the smoking ban in closed areas was put into effect in Turkey, a restaurant manager in the capital of Ankara found an alternative solution that would please his smoking customers.

Serkan Yilmaz, a restaurant manager in Ankara, is offering nicotine gum and many eggplant, consisting of nicotine, dishes to his clients.

"We will continue offering nicotine gum to our customers for some more time," Yilmaz said.

Yilmaz also said that he did not have any commercial intentions, and wished Turkish society would get used to this ban as soon as possible.

Also, a customer said she did not know whether the nicotine gum would help quit smoking but she wanted to quit smoking.

However, smoking ban was protested in downtown Ankara. A group of tradesmen on Ankara's Sakarya Street gathered together and reacted to the smoking ban for "it had a negative impact on their business."

Majority of cafes and bars on Ankara's Sakarya Street, which is an entertainment center for people of all ages, was empty on Monday.

The smoking ban was welcomed by tourists spending their vacation in the Aegean resort towns of Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye. However, the tourism sector employers are demanding Turkish authorities to give them extra time to get prepared for the ban.

British tourists in Fethiye said the smoking ban was in effect in their country for four years, however they were feeling comfortable in Turkey since smoking was not banned.

"We will try not to be affected by the ban by preferring open-air places, not closed places during our vacation. The ban is right because what is important is people's health," British tourists said.

Also a Russian tourist said there were similar bans in many world countries.

After the ban took effect, police are controlling restaurants and entertainment places in Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye and warning the managers to implement the ban.

Some British people living in Didim town of the Aegean province of Aydin generally welcome the smoking ban, however some of them think that it would be better if the state learned the views of the citizens.

Rubbey Sombells of Britain said she was pleased with the ban, and her spouse Max said Turkish government would have a great success if it could implement the ban particularly in tourist resorts.

However, Bren Vickers, who is also living in Didim, said a good questioning should be made when a decision is being made if that decision interested the majority of the society.

"If I am to be punished for smoking when I am on holiday, I will not stay here but go to another place," Vickers said.

The smoking ban across Turkey went into effect on Sunday. Accordingly, consumption of tobacco products is banned in all enclosed public and private places including restaurants and business places for entertainment across Turkey as of today.

People, who light up in those places, will face penalties of 69 Turkish lira (about 46 USD), while business owners who permit tobacco use can be forced to pay up to 5,000 TL (nearly 3,200 USD).

From now on, it is illegal to smoke in coffeehouses, cafeterias, pubs, narghile-smoking places, clubs of associations and foundations, restaurants, taxis, mass transportation vehicles of highway, railway, seaway and airway.

Under the new law, making advertisement and promotion of tobacco products as well as names and brands of producer companies is forbidden too.

The first phase of the law had gone into effect in May 2008 and made it illegal to smoke on public transportation and in workplaces and malls. Restaurants, bars and cafes had been given an extra year to bring themselves into compliance with the law.

Turkey became the seventh country in the European continent which bans smoking in all enclosed public places.

According to the Turkish Temperance Association, Turkey is ranked fourth in tobacco consumption and nearly 100 thousand Turkish people die of smoking-related diseases each year. Turkish people spend almost 25 billion USD for smoking.

Turkish authorities said that cigarette consumption had already decreased in Turkey after the first phase of the ban. The Tobacco & Alcohol Market Regulation Agency (TAPDK) said that following last year's ban, cigarette consumption decreased by 1.1 percent in the second half of 2008. (BRC-AÖ)



Kaynak : Anadolu Ajansı