Smoking ban creates ‘Big Brother’ atmosphere

Hotlines established to inform authorities about anyone violating the smoking ban have been ringing nonstop, with even friends and children reporting their friends and parents.

A man called the police and informed them that his friend had lit up a cigarette in a coffeehouse in the southern city of Adana, the Anatolia news agency reported Monday.

Remzi Çalıyır, 48, called the police and informed them that his friend was smoking at a coffeehouse in Adana’s Çukurova district. Following this, all smokers in the coffeehouse left to avoid paying a fine. Police arrived at the coffeehouse, and because they could not find any trace of people having smoked, they left after issuing a warning to the manager and customers.

“Everyone should obey the ban. This law was implemented for our health,” said Çalıyır, who added that he quit after being a smoker for years.

“Look how clean the coffeehouses are now that smoking is banned. Nobody can smoke from now on,” Çalıyır said. “Even if it is my father I will inform the authorities.”

Hüseyin Demirezer, 60, was smoking outside the same coffeehouse and said he has been a smoker since the age of 7. “I will leave the coffeehouse to smoke,” he said. “I would rather give up going to a coffeehouse than give up smoking.”

The owner of the coffeehouse said business had suffered badly since Sunday and only two out of 20 tables at the coffeehouse have been filled.

More than 100 calls

Meanwhile, police in the Aegean city of İzmir said more than 100 phone calls were made to the established hotline there, the Doğan news agency reported.

Callers included children calling to complain about their parents smoking. Police said most of the calls were questions on the policy or complaints, such as, “My customer is smoking; what should I do?” or “My father is smoking at home,” “People are smoking at the coffeehouse I am in,” and “Where is smoking prohibited?”

Authorities in İzmir said they issued only verbal warning to offenders Sunday because it was the first day of the ban but would issue cash fines as of Monday.

Based on changes made to law No. 4207, which regulates tobacco and the consumption of tobacco products, the use of tobacco products was banned in May 2008 in enclosed areas of buildings providing public services; buildings that cater to educational, health, production, commercial, social, cultural and sporting activities; and all forms of public transport, including taxis. This ban was extended on Sunday to include restaurants, coffeehouses, cafeterias and bars.

As of Sunday, 4,000 Health Ministry personnel were set to oversee the execution of the ban. Complaint hotlines will be established in every city, and citizens will be able to inform authorities about properties that are not abiding by the new law.

Until the relevant phone numbers are established, the public can call the Health Ministry Communication Center, or SABİM, at 184, the police at 155, or the gendarmerie at 156 with complaints.