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100,000 people to die of smoking in 2009, says professor 

Professor Elif Dağlı, a member of the National Cigarette and Health Committee (SSUK), has claimed that 100,000 people will die of smoking-related diseases in Turkey this year.

Speaking at a conference organized by the Health Ministry and World Health Organization (WHO), Professor Dağlı said the number of people dying of smoking-related diseases will reach 5 million in the world at the end of this year, while noting that Turkish people annually spend $20 billion for cigarettes. She predicted that 100,000 people will die from smoking in Turkey in 2009.

Commenting on the effects of the smoking ban implemented last year in closed public areas, she said: "It will only be the cigarette industry which will see losses. Doctors will see fewer patients at hospitals." She also said regulations made in Turkey to fight smoking are far better than those in most modern countries.

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