A transitional period is introduced for cafes and restaurants; smoking will be finally banned in them only in July 2009. Exceptions are made for special zones in psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. In hotels, smoking will be allowed in smoking rooms. Also, organizers of sports events and concerts may provide special smoking areas.
Any institution that violates the ban on public smoking will receive a written warning and then be fined up to 5,000 Turkish lira (about €2.700). Private individuals smoking in prohibited areas will be charged 50 lira (?26).
As reported by Lenta.ru, the proportion of smokers among Turkish men is about 60%, and among women about 20%. To date, the country already has a ban on smoking in public transport and advertising of tobacco products.
However, as AFP notes, due to the high popularity of tobacco smoking, these bans were not enforced too strictly. Some deputies who voted for the new law have already told the agency that they intend to continue smoking in the parliament building.