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Türkiye is preparing to widen its nationwide smoking ban as the Ministry of Health rolls out a new regulatory roadmap aimed at reducing tobacco use, which has continued to rise despite existing restrictions.
The planned changes would broaden the definition of indoor areas, push smoking further away from building entrances, and introduce new smoke-free zones in public outdoor spaces.
At the center of the proposed framework is a clearer definition of what counts as an indoor area. According to the roadmap, venues with retractable roofs, enclosed terraces, winter gardens, and similar semi-open structures would be fully classified as indoor spaces.
As a result, smoking would no longer be allowed in these locations, even when roofs or walls are partially open. The ministry is expected to reflect this definition directly in the legislation governing tobacco control.
Another key element focuses on building access points. Under the new approach, smoking would be banned within a five-meter radius of the main entrances of public buildings, shopping malls, and restaurants.
The roadmap also extends restrictions to selected outdoor areas, particularly those used by families and children.
All playgrounds would be marked as entirely smoke-free zones, described as red-line areas where smoking is prohibited at all times.
In addition, pilot projects would be launched along certain beaches, where designated smoke-free sections, referred to as blue zones, would be set up to limit tobacco use in coastal areas.
Türkiye has enforced a broad indoor smoking ban since Law No. 5727 came into effect in 2008, with full implementation following in July 2009.
This move placed the country among the early adopters of comprehensive smoke-free policies in Europe.
The framework has since expanded, with smoking banned inside vehicles in 2013 and standardized plain packaging for tobacco products introduced in 2019, becoming the sole packaging format on sale from 2020 onward.
According to reporting by Ziyneti Kocabiyik of Türkiye daily, the Ministry of Health now plans to update the existing legislation to reflect these new priorities and to reinforce the overall fight against smoking by closing regulatory gaps linked to semi-open and outdoor public spaces.
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