The ban will apply to most enclosed public spaces as well as some outdoor locations such as stadiums and the gardens of mosques and hospitals and to taxis and trains. Under the new law, restaurants and bars would be required to allocate well-segregated smoking rooms. The ban will include cigars, pipes and the traditional water pipe, or nargile.
Those flouting the smoking ban will face a fine of 57 lira (US$ 48.7). Owners of bars, cafes and restaurants where customers light up could be fined up to 5,000 lira.
The ban will be implemented in full 18 months after it is signed it into law. Parliament endorsed the law by 240 votes for with just two against. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, known for his strong dislike of tobacco, had championed the ban.
In 1997 Turkey banned smoking in offices with more than four workers, on some public transport, including buses and planes, in sports centres and in places providing health, education and cultural services. Commentators say enforcing the new law could prove difficult in a nation that is a major producer of tobacco and where one-third of the population of 75 million smoke. (pi)