Party poopers

Police in Istanbul, Turkey, raided a vape party on Sunday at which there were at least 800 guests, according to a Hurriyet Daily News story citing the daily, Habertürk.

They detained three organizers and handed fines to all attendees for ‘smoking indoors’.

Vaping devices are deemed to be tobacco products in Turkey, and legislation that applies to tobacco products also applies to such devices.

After invitations for the ‘unlimited vape party’ were posted on Facebook, police put the location on İstiklal Avenue in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district under surveillance.

After the organizers had rented the terrace of a restaurant for the party, they announced that entrance was free and that various kinds of vaping devices would be available for attendees free of charge.

The Health Ministry has not yet licensed the import of any vaping devices, though such products do enter the country, where they are sold for between TL150 and TL450, over the Internet or through illegal trafficking.