Compliance of Point of Sales to Tobacco Control Law in Istanbul

Aim The aim of this study is to observe the compliance of the point of sales (POS) to the tobacco control legislation and investigate the hints of industry interference in Istanbul. Material and Methods This study was carried out in November 2022 using Framework Convention Alliance methodology for shadow reporting at POS in four commercially dense districts of Istanbul. Observation forms were filled and photos were taken to document the violations. Results Of the 199 POS visited 100 % had illegal price tags,96% displayed products at the eye leve of children, 94,5 % had stacked various sizes of cigarette packs to create the same design implying the industry interference, 91,5 advertising on display units, 93 % had placed packs to hide pictorial warnings, 83,4 % had tobacco advertising in the shop, 84,9 % did not have notices about sales to minors, 91,5 % had shelves carrying colors or logo of a tobacco company, 80,9 % rendered physical access , 79,4% sold cigars and cigarillos by stick. 65,3 % sold products which were not licenced in Turkey such as e-cigarettes,puff bars, menthol balls. Conclusions Increase in POS violations compared with previous years were noted. Explicit sales of unlicenced products and overt tobacco industry advertising were proof of visible non complience.