The Turkish Anti-smoking Fighters Foundation (SSV) said that warning messages on cigarettes packets as well as a series of anti-smoking advertisements had helped significantly decrease the number of people addicted to smoking in Turkey over the past six years, local newspaper The Turkish Daily News reported on Monday.

SSV head Ubeyd Korbey was quoted as saying that the effects of a more concerted fight against cigarettes in Turkey were beginning to be seen and that a significant drop had been registered in the number of addicted smokers since 1999.

Consumption of cigarettes in Turkey, which was registered as 1, 610 cigarettes per capita six years ago, dropped to 1,490 per capita in 2005, according to the report.

Korbey also said that SSV planned to put photographs of coffins on cigarette packets within the next couple of years to warn people against smoking.

"We think that cigarette addicts will be very affected by these photographs," said Korbey, adding "Our plans are to join the written warnings which are already being used with photos of unhealthy lungs, coffins, grave-diggers and skeletons."

With stepped-up anti-cigarette efforts, consumption of cigarettes in Turkey is expected to drop 5-10 percent this year, said Korbey.

But the SSV head warned of a tough task ahead, noting that the average age for people to start smoking has been below 10 in some areas of Turkey.

Source: Xinhua