Minister Memişoğlu: We have supported 6 million citizens in the last 12 years through the ALO 171 Quit Smoking Helpline.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said, "Our experts at the ALO 171 Quit Smoking Helpline support our citizens with motivational talks. In 2024, 308,222 citizens received service through this line. Over the last 12 years, we have provided quitting smoking support to approximately 6 million citizens through this line."

In his speech at the 6th Istanbul Initiative Summit hosted by the Green Crescent at the Sepetçiler Kasrı, Memişoğlu said they gathered to share the progress made in the fight against all kinds of addictions that take over human health, body, and willpower and to develop a global strategy.

Memişoğlu stated that the High Council for the Fight Against Drugs was established in 2014 under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and that this was later expanded in scope and transformed into the High Council for the Fight Against Addiction.

Memişoğlu stated that the new term plans include not only tobacco and drug addiction but also new addictions of the age such as technology, gaming and screen addiction, and that they have begun implementing the 2024-2028 National Action Plan in this context.

Memişoğlu emphasized that the Sancaktepe Healthy Living Village project will begin operations in 2026, saying, "This project will operate on a 180,000-square-meter site, with 75 independent sections and a 270-bed capacity. This center is a model that combines rehabilitative services for combating alcohol, substance, tobacco, gambling, and screen addictions under one roof. With this model, we aim to provide not only medical treatment but also vocational guidance and reintegration into society."

Memişoğlu noted that they are not satisfied with Türkiye's high ranking in smoking among OECD countries.

Memişoğlu, noting that they don't want cigarettes to be visible in everyday life, said, "Our desire is to achieve a smoke-free Türkiye. We are working on a legislative effort that will prevent tobacco and tobacco products from becoming visible and will also contribute to our fight. In this context, we want to sever as much of the connection between health institutions, universities, and public buildings and smoking as possible."

Memişoğlu stated that they want to prevent the promotion of new products that portray cigarettes as innocent to children and young people, and that they plan to introduce certain measures into legislation, particularly those requiring identity verification during sales.

Memişoğlu, stating that they have been providing counseling services to citizens for a year through the ALO 171 Quit Smoking Counseling Line, said, "Our experts at the ALO 171 Quit Smoking Counseling Line support our citizens in quitting smoking through motivational interviews. In 2024, 308,222 citizens received service through this line. In the last 12 years, we have provided support to approximately 6 million citizens through this line to help them quit smoking. In 2024, we served 150,000 people in our smoking cessation clinics. In our one-year follow-up, we observed that 36 percent of the people we support, the smokers, quit smoking."

Memişoğlu stated that they increased the number of smoking cessation clinics by 87 percent to reach more citizens, saying, "We increased the number of our smoking cessation clinics from 467 to 873. Instead of waiting for them to come, we decided to go specifically to tobacco users and smokers. So, we formed mobile teams. We tried to reach people who smoke in parks, on streets, and wherever people were. With this policy change in 2025, we were able to reach more people. With the mobile clinics located in parks, we provided support on how to quit smoking and encouraged them to break free from this addiction."

Emphasizing that there are approximately 28,000 family physicians in Türkiye, Memişoğlu continued:

"As of last week, we have established smoking cessation units in family medicine clinics, thus creating a wider area within this scope. Furthermore, regarding compliance with our restrictions and prohibitions, we have implemented numerous inspections and penalties for tobacco use in inappropriate places through both the ALO 184 hotline and the Green Detector line, which we coordinate with the Green Crescent. We have inspected such locations and reported cases 3.5 million times in approximately nine months. We are equally determined in the fight against drugs. Our ALO 191 Anti-Drug Hotline provides free 24/7 counseling services. In the first nine months of 2025, we provided counseling to approximately 30,000 citizens here. Our experts have been directing citizens seeking services related to addiction and drug use to our AMATEM or ÇEMATEM centers for one year. We provide services nationwide through a total of 144 centers, 64 of which are inpatient and 80 are outpatient. In addition, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, we provide health and counseling services to our penal institutions remotely. "We provide service"

Memişoğlu emphasized that one of the insidious dangers of our age is digital addiction, and that the Ministry of Health reached more than 876,000 people in the first half of 2025 with the awareness programs they carried out on this subject under the theme "Keep the Moment in Your Own Heart."

Memişoğlu emphasized that educational programs are being conducted with teachers, parents, healthcare professionals, youth, and children, saying, "We are strengthening digital awareness efforts with training for our family physicians. We are also conducting studies on digital addiction among adolescents aged 12-18."