Raki, the Turkish brandy with anise, is deeply rooted in Turkish society and culture. They sit at the common table for hours, laughing and singing along brandy, he writes Deutsche Welle (DW).
Numerous Turkish poets such as Orhan Veli Kanik have left a poetic trace of their connection with this traditional drink. Orhan once wrote that he would like to be a fish in a brandy bottle.
The queen of Turkish pop, Sezen Aksu, dedicated the song "Are we flowers again" to the traditional Turkish brandy with anise. Even the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, was known for his brandy evenings with friends and artists.
However, in the last few years, alcohol poisoning has become more common. The largest number of cases was recorded in large cities, Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, but also in tourist regions.
This year, the number of deaths due to toxic alcohol is particularly high. 160 people have already died.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Jerlikaya stated that by the end of February, 648.000 liters of illegally produced brandy, vodka, gin, and whiskey had been seized. 560 people were arrested.
In Turkey, alcoholic beverages are expensive due to the high tax rate. A bottle of brandy costs 35 euros. In a country where the minimum wage is 572 euros, drinking alcohol is unaffordable for many people. In Germany, for example, Turkish brandy is much more affordable - a liter costs between 12 and 18 euros.
The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, as well as German experts, warn of the danger of consuming illegally produced alcohol in Turkey.
Tourists going on holiday to Turkey are advised to be extremely careful when consuming alcohol. You should pay attention to the original packaging of the drink, as well as to the fact that the blue-turquoise excise tape on the cap of the bottle is undamaged.
The Turkish non-governmental organization "Alcohol Policy Monitoring Platform" published additional tips on the X platform. Restaurants that offer unlimited alcohol consumption should be avoided and it is advisable to order a corked bottle for the guest to open himself, to ensure that the original bar is intact.
The main cause of alcohol poisoning is the use of cheap methanol, which is mixed with alcoholic beverages instead of ethanol. Jagin Tan Eroglu, who works for "Platform", emphasizes that such alcohol does not differ from normal alcohol in terms of smell, color and taste.
Methanol is extremely toxic and can lead to vision disturbances, vomiting, stupor and organ failure, and in the worst case, death.
Criticism of alcohol policy
Eroglu criticizes the government's policy, which led to the increase in the price of alcoholic beverages through heavy taxation. Since 2013, taxes have been automatically increased every six months.
Meanwhile, taxes make up two-thirds of the official price. In addition, the price increases were fueled by a high inflation rate. Eroglu says that because of this, many citizens are forced to buy drinks on the black market.
Ozan Bingol, a recognized tax policy expert, recently described the situation like this: "If the sales tax was 15 Turkish lira per liter of alcohol 51,5 years ago, now it is almost 1.366 lira." That's a growth of an incredible 2.553 percent."
GA from Izmir tells DW that alcohol has become a luxury for him as well, so in the meantime he makes his own brandy and sometimes wine. He remembers that a bottle of brandy cost 18 euros ten years ago.
GA believes that the Islamic-conservative government uses the tax system as a repressive instrument in order to force the liberal population to give up the consumption of alcoholic beverages. He adds that the government divides society on this topic and demonizes citizens who do not correspond to their ideas.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not hide the fact that he is a devout Muslim and rejects alcohol. He often mentions it in his public speeches. For him, Turkey's national drink is Ayran, drinkable diluted salty yogurt.
Demands to reduce taxes
After the latest deaths due to alcohol poisoning, the professional associations of food and chemical engineers appealed to the Turkish government to tighten controls, but also to reduce the tax on alcoholic beverages, as extremely high tax levies have not reduced alcohol consumption, but have become a danger to public health.
And Jagin Tan Eroglu points out that high tax rates do not have the desired effect of reducing alcohol consumption, but only increase the number of deaths.
He accuses the government that its policy is based on the ideological attitude according to which citizens who consume alcohol "are not good citizens."
Eroglu adds that even after the actual deaths, some government officials presented alcohol as the cause, not distinguishing between illegal and legal production. Meanwhile, that policy has social consequences. Alcohol is served only in the more liberal parts of the city, as if it does not exist in other parts. Eroglu believes that the government actually caused a kind of cultural war.
Since 2014, all forms of alcohol advertising have been banned in Turkey. Alcoholic beverage manufacturers are no longer even allowed to be sponsors, which has led to the suspension of several well-known festivals. Scenes of drinking in film or television must be blurred.
According to official data, every Turk drinks an average of two liters of alcohol per year. With the fact that it is not known how much illegal alcohol is consumed.
Source: Deutsche Welle (DW)
