Turkey widens smoking ban to most enclosed areas

"I cannot quit smoking, I'll only quit when I go to my grave. I have to smoke."

According to the World Health Organization, nearly two-thirds of the world's smokers live in 10 countries led by China and India and followed by Indonesia, Russia, the U.S., Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

Turkey is also among the world's main tobacco growers along with China, India, the U.S. and Brazil, and one of the top exporters. Several major cigarette producers blend Turkish tobacco in their products.

"To smoke like a Turk" is a common expression in many European countries to describe someone who smokes a lot, and hookah smoking — a legacy of the Ottoman era — has experienced a revival with several hookah cafes opening up in major Turkish cities over the past decade.

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