Zaher Bey-Ankara
A few days ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would never allow e-cigarette companies to manufacture their products in Turkey and urged Turks to drink tea instead. What is the reality of e-cigarettes in Turkey, among a people some of whom believe they desire and a president fighting it?
"They deceived me and said: electronic cigarette helps quit smoking." With this phrase, young man Birol Ishik began his talk to Al Jazeera Net, and the signs and remorse on his face "Smoking was one of the stupidest things I have ever done."
He started smoking at the age of 17 years, trying to imitate his father, he says, and after graduating from university, that is, after several years of smoking decided to quit the smoke because of his suffering and gasping while running and his daily ascent to his apartment on the fourth floor.
Ishik's attempt to quit smoking failed until his friends advised him to smoke electronic cigarettes on the pretext that they were harmless and help him quit smoking completely, so he started smoking with the various flavors that attracted him until he became addicted to smoking for three years.
After his health worsened, he was admitted to the intensive care unit, where he pulled four liters of fluid out of his lungs, and now he is in good health. Kicking is an important amount of nerve energy that I have after quitting smoking. "
Statistics
According to the Ministry of Health, since the passage of the law banning smoking in public and closed places in 2009, 141 thousand citizens have stopped smoking, and reduced cigarette consumption by 13 billion cigarettes compared to the period prior to the ban.
According to Statistics Center, the percentage of smokers in 2016 over 15 years of age was 26.5%, and the proportion of males in the same year for the age group 35-45 years 49.8%, while the proportion of smokers for the same age group 19.9%.
Consumption of e-cigarettes accounted for 16% of the total number of smokers in 2010 and increased to about 28.7% by 2016. This is evidence of increased e-cigarette consumption and the attempt by many smokers to replace traditional cigarettes. Specialists.
Although smoking is not legally prohibited, buying or distributing e-cigarettes is against the law, yet many buy e-cigarettes from their online distributors.
State action
Erdogan has said he will not allow e-cigarette companies to manufacture their products in Turkey, and urged his citizens to drink tea instead.
"They asked us a place and a permit to produce e-cigarettes, we didn't give them and we won't," he told an anti-smoking conference in Istanbul on Sunday.
Taha Odehoglu, a political analyst close to the government, says that the president is known for his hatred of cigarettes and his fight against smoking. Closed, which raised Turkey to the list of leading countries to combat smoking worldwide.
"The current government has taken additional measures to reduce smoking, including banning electronic cigarettes, raising the prices of tobacco products, banning marketing through the media and organizing awareness campaigns and incentive prizes for quitters," he said.
He pointed out that the government poses the problem and the solution at the same time, for example, the state is responsible for treating patients who decide to quit smoking, whether they have health insurance or not, and the Ministry of Health to ensure the distribution of patients to health agencies where patients are provided with a free medication that is a substitute for nicotine.
Pathological cases
In the past five years, 570 scientific researches have been carried out on the use of e-cigarettes in Western countries and the United States. Smoke from e-cigarettes has been shown to cause trachitis, alveoli, and lining of the nasal, pharynx and upper respiratory tract.
E-cigarettes also contribute to increased risk of asthma among young age groups and children. Heat emitted congestion of the pharynx, mouth and tongue cells, and negative effects on the gums and teeth.
The doctor pointed out that the containment of nicotine contributes significantly to increase addiction, and affects consumers in case of stay away from cases of nicotine deficiency of headaches, nausea and general weakness.
As for her contribution to lung and respiratory cancer, he told Al Jazeera Net, "There have been many cases of oral and respiratory cancer, but it has not been directly established that the main cause is e-cigarettes, and this is due to the recent use and difficulty in diagnosing cancers in the short term."
Tarzi attributed the reason for her demand for its ease of purchase through e-commerce, and the availability of many types of cheap prices.