Today was a national holiday - Atatürk Commemoration & Youth and Sport Day. It seems like that’s enough to squeeze into one day, but I’m happy to say this year also marked the beginning of a comprehensive smoking ban in public places.
An article in the English-language Zaman newspaper lays out the details, including the myriad fines for violations of the law.
I’m not holding my breath that things will change over night, but I do have hope that my travels through Turkish bus stations and government offices will be less hazy by the end of my project.
7 comments ↓
Hey, it works great here in Colorado and I hear that Iowa is about to do the same.
I’m glad to hear about the ban there. The ban in Iowa begins July 1. It will be interesting to see if it is truly enforced. It sounds like they are serious about enforcing the ban in Turkey, considering the various fines mentioned.
Where is it currently okay to smoke in Iowa that it won’t be as of July? I would’ve thought it wasn’t allowed in most places already. But maybe sporting events, things like that?
Any bar, restaurant or public place as far as as I know. They have been hugely successful in enforcing it in Colorado and I assume Iowa will be the same.
Colorado exempted casinos in the ban (ie; you can smoke there)…HOWEVER…this week they repealed that ban and casino smoking will stop as well. I heard Iowa is allowing casino smoking…but I predict they will follow Colorado after a while.
Got it. I remember NJ state legislature was debating last year whether to allow smoking in the casinos - as I recall they allowed it, maybe just in certain areas, though. I think it was the workers who were complaining the most.
So Turkey has joined the trend of banning smoking in public places. I am sure that a lot of people will complain about this, but the health benefits are legion. I for one do not like to be in a place that is filled with cigarette smoke.
Thanks for the comment, ImagineImagine (nice website, by the way). So far so good with the ban - can you believe it’s even forbidden on the outside decks of the ferries? Smokers must really hate that!
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