Permissiveness vs. True Freedom

You have a cigarette in your hand. You haven't even had breakfast yet, but your lungs are filled with smoke. Your body has been bathed in cigarette smoke. Every strand of your hair has become one with the cigarette. You say, "It's my choice," "No one can interfere!" You are right, you are free: There is no ban, no obstacle, you can do as you please. But why did that cigarette come into your hand? Was it truly your choice, or was it an automatic movement driven by a habit you saw on the way to school years ago, polished in advertisements, and portrayed as cool on social media? "No one wakes up in the morning and decides, 'My body wants nicotine, how logical.'"

If you notice, I said "you are free to do as you please" (serbestsiniz), I did not say "you are free" (özgürsünüz). I feel the need to make a distinction. On one side is permissiveness, and on the other is "true freedom." This means not only being "able to do" something, but also being "able to choose not to do it." An addict picking up a cigarette is an action, yes; but if there is no free will behind that action, can we truly call it freedom?

THE ROLE OF THE STATE: PROHIBITIONIST OR PATH-PAVER?

At this point, let us turn to the state. The duty of a social state is not merely to collect taxes and build roads; it also has the responsibility to unlock the potential of its citizens. It should not be content with imposing bans; it should pave the way for true freedom. How, you ask?

• By making cigarettes expensive: Yes, prices should be a deterrent. An addiction that consumes your budget becomes a product of economic necessity, not individual choice. Someone consumed by the thought of "I must buy cigarettes at any cost" will eventually realize that they are facing an addiction rather than a habit.

• By making sales more difficult: There should be no cigarette sales in front of schools, right at the doors of cafes, or at children's eye level. Is it only children? Of course not. It is truly difficult for free will to function in children. But blood sugar fluctuations, various metabolic diseases, and weaknesses in emotional management also cripple the free will of adults.

• By multiplying and strengthening cessation centers: It is easy to tell people to "quit and get rid of it"; the real issue is to stand by them and facilitate the process. With better physicians, more accessible centers, and stronger support lines...

• By mobilizing civil society: Campaigns that promote a smoke-free life and initiatives that remind young people of the value of breathing should become widespread. To equip society against cigarette addiction, access to sports and healthy living should be facilitated.

• By strengthening social psychology: Stronger citizens should be raised by fulfilling the requirements of a person's right to live in a healthy environment and by making it easier to receive psychological support.

BAN OR PROTECTION?

At this point, we might hear a voice saying, "Freedom is being lost!" But the freedom we are talking about here is not interfering with an adult smoking alone on their balcony. What we are talking about is preventing the lives of people who are drawn into addiction at a young age—and who will struggle for years to quit later—from being overshadowed from the start. Let us not forget that the consequences of cigarette addiction are irreversible diseases, low quality of life, and a decrease in a person's productivity... All of these have public consequences. The necessity of looking after even a single one of our citizens as a public forces us, and should force us, to fight against cigarettes.

Permissiveness means that an act is not prevented; true freedom is having the chance to realize one's potential. Cigarette addiction erodes an individual's ability to make choices; it imprisons their will along with their body. The state's duty is to transform permissiveness into true freedom: that is, to build a society where people truly have the chance to choose and are not condemned to the captivity of addiction.

A FREER FUTURE

A smoke-free future is not only healthier but also more equal, more productive, and more hopeful. Because true freedom begins with breathing. The state increasing cigarette prices, making sales more difficult, expanding cessation support, and mobilizing civil society in this direction is not prohibitionism; it is a struggle for freedom.

A smoke-free society is a society that breathes, produces, and realizes its potential.