BACKGROUND: TurkiyeBACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Türkiye had implemented all Mpower strategies in between 2008 and 2011. A 13.4% relative decline in prevalence between 2008 to 2012 was achieved. However GATS showed a prevalence increase from 27.1% to 31.6% in 2016. Women prevalence rose by 46.6%. Increase in Point of Sales violations between 2015 to 2022 were also documented by shadow reporting. The cigarette manufacturing grew by 3.4 billion sticks per year. Two new sub brands per month were put on the market. Legal cigarette sales reached a record of 189 billion sticks in 2023. Türkiye had the 3rd highest daily smoking rate in Europa in 2020.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: Supply side measures were monitored. Incentives given to Tobacco Industry (TI) showed 53 documents about VAT exemptions, tax deductions, custom duty exemptions, income tax withholding, insurance premium support, investment place allocations, investment incentives given to TI and tobacco sub industry were discovered. These applications were clear violations of the provisions of Article 5.3.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: Tobacco Control Community contacted members of the Parliament and two sessions regarding the following issues were realized. İncreased consumption of legal cigarettes, growing illicit market of Roll Your Own tobacco and Waterpipe tobacco and supply side measures were discussed.
CONCLUSIONS: The international tobacco control community should take notice and draw lessons from the Turkish experience In order to improve the effectiveness of demand side measures supply side needs to be curbed.