Special Report | E-cigarettes in Türkiye: Smuggling is rampant despite the ban, and well-known brands are frequently investigated

Special Report | E-cigarettes in Türkiye: Smuggling is rampant despite the ban, and well-known brands are frequently investigated

Turkey's smoking rate ranks first in the world, and many Turkish cigarette smokers try to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking. In recent years, Turkey has banned the import and sale of any type of e-cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes can still flow into the market. The scale of e-cigarettes seized in Turkey has repeatedly set new highs, and well-known e-cigarette brands "ELFBAR" and "VOZOL" have been frequently seized.

Turkish smokers smoke an average of 17.1 cigarettes a day, ranking first in the world. Many Turkish cigarette smokers try to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking. In recent years, Turkey has continuously implemented regulatory measures on e-cigarettes, and the government has banned the import and sale of any type of e-cigarettes. However, despite this, e-cigarettes can still flow into the market through informal channels.

After combing through Turkey's cigarette and e-cigarette markets, it is not difficult to find that while Turkey's special tobacco consumption tax is constantly increasing, the smuggled e-cigarettes seized are also constantly breaking historical records. For many smokers, on the one hand, they are worried that the rising price of cigarettes will bring a burden to their lives, and on the other hand, they are looking for e-cigarettes in the market to try to quit smoking. In fact, e-cigarettes are still popular among young people and those who try to quit smoking, and Turkey's e-cigarette market continues to grow.

Policy
Raising the special consumption tax on tobacco while strictly prohibiting e-cigarettes

According to the Turkish News Network, the 2018-2033 Tobacco Control Plan shows that the number of smokers in Turkey exceeds 15 million. Among the total population of Turkey aged 15 and above, at least one in four people smokes. Turkey is the country with the largest per capita daily smoking in the world, with an average daily smoking of 17.1 cigarettes per person.

As a result, the Turkish government has continuously increased the special consumption tax on tobacco. In 2015, the Turkish government increased the tax rate on various tobacco products. In 2022, Turkey increased the special consumption tax on tobacco by 47.4%.

Under the influence of the increase in consumption tax, the price of cigarettes has also been soaring. Just recently, the price of cigarettes in Turkey rose by 3 Turkish liras (0.9 US dollars) on May 8, 2024, which triggered many discussions among smokers on social media. It is understood that the cheapest cigarette brand registered with the Monopoly Dealers Solidarity Association costs 53 Turkish liras (about 1.8 US dollars) per pack, while the most expensive cigarettes cost 75 liras (about 1.5 US dollars) per pack.

The soaring cigarette prices have caused a considerable financial burden on Turkish smokers. In fact, in order to quit smoking, many Turks choose to try e-cigarettes. According to a "profile of electronic cigarette users in Turkey", most of the people participating in the study said that they started using e-cigarettes in order to quit smoking or reduce the side effects of traditional cigarettes.

In "Ekşi Sözlük", one of the most popular online communities in Turkey, some netizens also said that using e-cigarettes helped them quit smoking successfully.

However, relevant information shows that e-cigarettes entered the Turkish market in 2007-2008, but the Turkish Ministry of Health issued a notice in 2008 to ban the sale of e-cigarettes. Since 2013, the product has been regarded as a tobacco product and included in the public place smoking ban bill, and its use has been restricted. From February 25, 2020, Turkey banned the import of e-cigarettes and related products.

Current situation
E-cigarette use is still increasing despite the ban

Although Turkey has banned any kind of e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes can still flow into the market through informal channels.

According to a Turkish "Demographic Characteristics of Electronic Cigarette Users: A Survey Study", researchers found that although the country banned the sale of e-cigarettes, 30.76% of the e-cigarette users surveyed could still easily buy e-cigarettes. In response to the question "Where do you get e-cigarettes?", 45.31% of the e-cigarette users surveyed said they got the product from friends or acquaintances, 23.93% ordered it online, 30.76% bought it from tobacco shops, and 22.65% got it from "other" sources (various shopping malls).

The survey report pointed out that research conducted in Turkey showed that online sales and use of e-cigarettes are common. Although according to the 2013 amendment to the law, the advertising, sale and smoking of e-cigarettes in indoor places are prohibited. However, the use of e-cigarettes in Turkey has increased in recent years.

On the social forum Reddit, Turkey has an online community called "KGB", which has many discussions about e-cigarette brands, product experiences and usage tips. Users often share personal opinions and product recommendations. In fact, in the difficult-to-control field of e-cigarettes, various e-cigarettes are sold in full view and delivered to the door. Direct or indirect advertisements are also circulated on the Internet.

In addition, Turkish news media frequently report on the investigation and punishment of smuggled e-cigarettes, which highlights the prevalence of the country's illegal e-cigarette market.

Thinking
Why has the scale of smuggled e-cigarettes in Turkey reached new highs?

Faced with the fact that e-cigarettes are still popular in Turkey, the Turkish government has further strengthened its supervision of the e-cigarette market and increased its efforts to investigate and punish illegal sales.

On December 19, 2023, Turkish Minister of Commerce Ömer Bolat reiterated: Turkey explicitly prohibits e-cigarettes. In this regard, Turkish Minister of Commerce Ömer Bolat said that heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes cannot be sold legally. He further pointed out that Turkey has a strict ban on e-cigarettes, and the government, including President Tayyip Erdoğan, is firmly opposed to liberalizing the sale of e-cigarettes. He revealed that Turkish customs seized 256,000 e-cigarettes in the past month and another 125,000 a week later. At the same time, he also admitted that indirect or direct advertising of e-cigarettes is still widely circulated on the Internet.

In fact, in recent years, the scale of smuggled e-cigarettes seized in Turkey has repeatedly set new records. In August 2023, according to media reports, Turkish customs law enforcement seized 43,200 illegal e-cigarettes, breaking the record for the number of smuggled e-cigarettes in Turkey. Four months later, media reports said that the Turkish Ministry of Commerce seized 275,520 e-cigarettes in an operation, once again breaking the historical record of the scale of smuggled e-cigarettes. It is reported that in Turkey's border smuggling inspection operation in 2023, law enforcement officers seized a total of about 1.2 million smuggled e-cigarettes and 7 million e-cigarette parts.

A large number of smuggled e-cigarettes have still been seized in Turkey since 2024. Two Supreme Statistics found that since July this year, Turkey has seized a total of 418,000 smuggled e-cigarettes in three operations.

Source: Hurriyetdailynews
This makes one wonder: Why does Turkey ban e-cigarettes, and why has the scale of smuggling reached new highs?

An industry insider believes that the high profits of e-cigarettes and the imbalance between market supply and demand are the main reasons. On the one hand, smuggling e-cigarettes is lucrative and the market demand is strong; on the other hand, due to Turkey's strict control over the sales, advertising and use of e-cigarettes, legal channels cannot meet market demand, and smugglers seize this opportunity to fill the market gap.

Among these smuggled e-cigarettes, brands such as "ELFBAR" and "VOZOL" are particularly prominent, and their products appear in large numbers in front of the cameras seized by the police.

Source: Ihlas News Agency

Image source: Haberler

Voice
"Although it is prohibited, no one will bother you"

Faced with the strict regulatory measures of the Turkish government and the growing e-cigarette market, what do Turkish e-cigarette users think? Two Supremes found some Turkish "voices" on some social media.

On Reddit, a netizen named "topraqk" asked:

"If I buy an e-cigarette and get caught in the car, will they confiscate it? I heard that (e-cigarettes) are prohibited."

And a netizen named "ivanoc3169" replied:

"Although (e-cigarettes) are prohibited, in fact no one will bother you for it. The problem is mainly in sales..."

Image source: Reddit

In a local Turkish news website DonanimHaber, in the comment section of a news article about e-cigarettes, the comment with the highest number of likes reads:

"Traditional cigarettes are legal, but e-cigarettes are banned on the grounds of so-called 'harmfulness'. What's going on?"

Image source: DonanimHaber

Turkish netizen "hey jude" is a 6-year e-cigarette user who has tried various atomization devices. On July 15, 2024, he shared in the Turkish online forum "Ekşi Sözlük":

"As a person who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day before (e-cigarettes), after switching to e-cigarettes, I experienced positive developments, such as increased energy, no longer feeling breathless when climbing stairs, and restored taste and smell."

At the same time, he also said:

"E-cigarettes are not suitable for everyone and must be fully studied and understood. Because few people here have the habit of research and reading, many people rashly try e-cigarettes without understanding, and the result is more harmful than smoking."

The two supremes found that in the Turkish forum "Ekşi Sözlük", the "voice" about e-cigarettes (Turkish: elektronik sigara) has continued from 2007 to the present.