ASHGABAT: Turkmenistan has launched an aggressive campaign to eliminate smoking entirely by the end of 2025 under directives from the country’s leadership.
The Central Asian nation of seven million people, which already maintains one of the world’s lowest smoking rates, has implemented comprehensive restrictions and financial penalties to achieve this goal.
Bekmurad Khodjayev, a 64-year-old builder, illustrates the challenges faced by remaining smokers who must now conceal their habit from authorities rather than family members.
“I smoke in my apartment. But if I feel like smoking in town, I find a place without surveillance cameras to avoid a fine — an alleyway, a dead end, behind some tall bushes or trees, a deserted spot,“ the Turkmen pensioner told AFP.
Only four percent of Turkmens smoke, according to the World Health Organization, making the country’s smoking prevalence exceptionally low by global standards.
The tobacco-free initiative originated in 2022 under former dentist Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan’s supreme leader who ruled alongside his son Serdar for nearly two decades.
Authorities have imposed heavy taxes and comprehensive public smoking bans while restricting cigarette availability through official channels.
Khodjayev confirmed he purchases cigarettes from private kiosks since state shops operated by the commerce ministry no longer stock tobacco products.
Seller Meilis, operating a kiosk in the capital Ashgabat, revealed that cigarettes now primarily arrive from neighbouring countries rather than domestic sources.
“Most of the time, I sell single ones. Not everyone can afford an entire pack, it’s too expensive,“ the 21-year-old told AFP.
According to several smokers in Turkmenistan, a pack can cost between 50 and 170 manats ($14.20 to $48.50), while individual cigarettes cost between two and five manats.
This pricing represents a significant financial burden given that a single pack may exceed one-tenth of the average monthly salary, which stood at approximately 1,500 manats according to the most recent 2018 official statistics.
The healthcare sector has embraced the government’s anti-smoking campaign according to medical professionals like Soltan, a doctor working in an Ashgabat hospital.
“We treat tobacco addiction. The health ministry has created centres where smokers can get free advice on quitting,“ she said.
Authorities complement these support services with coercive measures including import restrictions and fines reaching 200 manats for violations.
The combination of financial pressure and enforcement has convinced some smokers like 24-year-old entrepreneur Ilyas Byashimov to abandon the habit completely.
“After receiving several fines, I decided to stop definitively after the time I got caught smoking in my car in a public car park,“ he said.
The government’s campaign intensified in 2023 when current leader Serdar Berdymukhamedov demanded a “no compromise” approach against smoking.
State television has featured approximately twenty individuals publicly promising to abstain from water pipes and illegal tobacco imports as part of this effort.
Regular public burnings of contraband cigarettes accompanied by traditional Turkmen dancing and singing ceremonies reinforce the anti-smoking message.
Despite these comprehensive measures, authorities remain cautious about declaring premature victory with several months remaining in 2025.
The health ministry declined to respond to AFP’s inquiries, reflecting the general difficulty in obtaining and verifying official information within the country.
Smokers and sellers express skepticism about achieving complete tobacco eradication, predicting the emergence of an expensive black market instead.
“Cigarettes will not disappear completely but will become much more expensive and there will be a black market,“ said Haidar Shikhiev, a 60-year-old builder.
Seller Galina Soyunova anticipates continued underground availability but at prohibitively high prices that may naturally resolve addiction issues.
“Who will buy cigarettes for the price of gold? Nobody. The question of tobacco addiction will resolve itself,“ she said. – AFP