World Lung Foundation Commends Turkish Government on Smoke Free Law
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Contact: Jorge Alday, Public Relations Manager
(New York) – World Lung Foundation (WLF) today congratulates the government and people of Turkey on the implementation of a truly comprehensive national smoke-free law:
"World Lung Foundation commends Turkey for implementing a model 100 percent smoke-free law that will boost the health of its citizens without any negative impact to the economy. Nearly 72 million people will be able to breathe air free from tobacco smoke in public places.
Public support, strong political will and solid enforcement are all critical to the success of smoke-free jurisdictions and Turkey has all these ingredients in place. More than 90% of people in Turkey now say they support the law according to a recent poll. The Turkish Ministry of Health has demonstrated its commitment by developing world-class policies and boosting its investment in public education. It has also admirably resisted requests for exemptions such as ventilation and designated smoking areas that simply don't work.
We now urge the government to strictly enforce penalties for violators and to continue its public information campaigns to create an environment where people continue to prefer the right to breathe tobacco-free air."
WLF has provided financial and technical support to governmental and civil society for communications campaigns to inform Turkish citizens about the smoke-free law and the harms of second-hand smoke. A new national campaign launched today to reiterate the harms of second-hand smoke and promote the benefits of the smoke-free law. This work is supported by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, of which World Lung Foundation is a principal partner.
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About World Lung Foundation
World Lung Foundation was established in response to the global epidemic of lung disease, which kills 10 million people each year. The organization improves global lung health by improving local capacity to conduct research, develop public policy and deliver public health education. The organization's areas of emphasis are tobacco control, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, asthma, and child lung health. For more information, please visit worldlungfoundation.org