Yes to Health Association held a press conference in Istanbul regarding the new tobacco law, which is stated to be introduced to the Parliament this month. At the meeting, new generation nicotine products, e-cigarette use, digital marketing, smuggled products and the course of tobacco consumption in Turkey were discussed.
Association President Prof. Dr. Elif Dağlı argued that the current tobacco legislation in Turkey is sufficient but needs to be implemented.
“WE DO NOT WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BE WASTE ON NICOTINE PRODUCTS”
Dağlı stated that he has been fighting against the tobacco and nicotine industry since 1987 and made the following evaluation about the new regulation:
"What happened in recent days? A new tobacco law appeared in the newspapers and media with its articles. The said legislation was presented differently in every media. However, it was not approved by any public authority. What is the truth? Our tobacco laws are sufficient. The current one should be implemented, not the new one. We do not want our children to be wasted with nicotine products this time with a second Özal case."
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOBACCO CONSUMPTION AND UNEMPLOYMENT AND INCOME INEQUALITY
Association Board Member Assoc. Dr. Osman Elbek shared the results of a research covering 31 countries.
Elbek stated that in addition to the World Health Organization (WHO) MPOWER policy, the relationship between unemployment, income inequality, gender inequality and democratic standards and tobacco consumption was examined.
According to the cited research findings, high unemployment was found to be strongly associated with increased smoking and inability to quit using tobacco products. A strong and positive relationship was also detected between income inequality and the rate of tobacco use and its increase over time.
Elbek spoke about the results as follows:
"Therefore, in order for countries to develop successful tobacco control policies, they should not only focus on MPOWER; on the contrary, they should also include and integrate policies that strengthen democratic governance, economic equality and gender equality into their agenda. High unemployment, income inequality, gender inequality and weak democratic/civil rights environment in countries both increase tobacco use and prevent its decrease over time."
“NICOTINE INDUSTRY NOW USE ALGORITHM, NOT BILLBOARD”
Association Board Member Tanzer Gezer drew attention to the marketing methods of products defined as "new generation products".
Gezer stated that these products are marketed through the discourses of "innovation", "technology" and "alternative" and said that this does not mean that they are safe.
Pointing out the risk that digital marketing poses, especially for young people, Gezer said:
"The nicotine industry no longer uses billboards, but algorithms. Instead of advertisements, they use 'content', 'experience' and 'lifestyle'. Addiction is carried to home pages with colorful videos and influencer collaborations. As young people's screen time increases, nicotine visibility also increases."
REMARKABLE E-CIGARETTE DATA FOR THE 10-19 AGE GROUP
At the meeting, the results of the cross-sectional study covering 488 adolescents between the ages of 10-19 who applied to the pediatric outpatient clinics of Gazi University and Ankara University Faculty of Medicine hospitals between February and April 2026 were also shared.
Accordingly, 21.9 percent of the participants reported using e-cigarettes at least once, and 12.5 percent reported using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. It was reported that as age increases, the tendency to see e-cigarettes as physically harmless and to evaluate the product as a means of social acceptance increases.
MORE THAN 8.5 MILLION ILLEGAL E-CIGARETTES IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF 2025
Gezer also shared data about the illegal market.
Referring to the data of the Ministry of Commerce, General Directorate of Customs Enforcement, Gezer said that more than 8 million 584 thousand illegal electronic cigarettes were seized in the first 10 months of 2025.
Gezer said, "The amount captured is the tip of the iceberg."
CALL FOR NEW GENERATION NICOTINE PRODUCTS
While listing the policy demands of the association, Gezer argued that the production of new generation products should not be allowed, the import ban should be made permanent, and domestic and international sales and distribution should be clearly prohibited.
The association also demanded that open or covert commercial activities aimed at marketing these products be criminalized and that the exemption for entering the country with passengers be abolished.
CIGARETTE SALES REACHED 160 BILLION UNITS IN TURKEY
Association Member Efza Evrengil said that two topics stand out in the news regarding the regulation that will be submitted to the Parliament: The ban on the production and trade of all tobacco products in 2040 and the generation-based cigarette sales ban, starting from those born on January 1, 2015.
Evrengil also emphasized that these suggestions were not confirmed or denied by official or political authorities.
He shared the following data regarding the table in Turkey:
"The provisions of our Tobacco Control Law No. 4207 were not implemented well and were inadequate. Result: Cigarette sales have grown with an increase rate of approximately 5% every year for the last 12 years, reaching 160 billion units in 2025. According to the 2023 data of the Ministry of Health's Turkey Household Health Survey, tobacco use rates in Turkey increased to 46.1% for men, 23.6% for women, and 34.8% for both genders."
“YES TO THE MALDIVES MODEL, NO TO THE BUTAN AND BRITISH MODEL”
In his assessment of generation-based sales ban models, Evrengil opposed the regulation in Britain and expressed the association's approach as follows:
“From a closing perspective, the right and wrong model for us is very clear: we say yes to the Maldives model, no to the Bhutan model, no to the British model.”
Evrengil stated that there are hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 18 in Turkey who are addicted to tobacco, and said that despite the sales ban, children can access cigarettes and other products.
BAN REQUEST FOR THIN CIGARETTES AND FILTERS
Thin cigarettes known as "slim" and "ultra slim" were also brought to the agenda at the meeting.
Evrengil argued that thin cigarettes were marketed with the perception of "less toxin" and "less nicotine" and requested a switch to standard cigarettes. He pointed out that cigarette filters are single-use plastic waste and called for the filters to be banned.
“WE NEED A PLAN MORE THAN A LAW”
Evrengil concluded his statement by stating that a new law alone would not be sufficient to reduce tobacco use:
"In order to pursue a termination strategy, a plan is needed rather than a law. The plan and its implementation. To put it more clearly, the production, domestic and foreign trade, distribution and sale of new tobacco and nicotine products need to be specifically banned."
