Akdağ: The path to addiction starts with cigarettes

Minister Akdağ, assessing the recent increase in tobacco use among young people and the efforts being made to prevent it, continued as follows:

“The foundation of the path leading to substance addiction is smoking. We know that 95 out of every 100 people with substance addiction have smoked before; research shows this. That’s why smoking—while certainly not a risk for everyone—is a risk that can lead some young people to substance addiction. Consequently, it is harmful in and of itself. We must do everything in our power to prevent our young people from starting to smoke and to protect them. As the Ministry of Health, we are doing just that. The entire society—especially the media and many other organizations—must pay close attention to this issue. It is difficult to tackle this problem solely through the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Yeşilay. Thanks to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—may God be pleased with him—who has been a very vigilant advocate on the issue of tobacco use, we have been able to make progress. Unfortunately, in recent years, tobacco use among young people has begun to rise. This is closely linked to addiction. Regarding rehabilitation, our Ministry of Family is currently conducting intensive work. There are also positive steps being taken by some of our municipalities and civil society organizations. This issue should not necessarily be viewed solely in terms of establishing rehabilitation villages, though that is also a viable option.”