Israel on Tuesday outlawed the import and sale of e-cigarettes made by Juul Labs, citing public health concerns over their nicotine content, according to a Reuters story published on voanews.com.
A statement by Israel’s Health Ministry said the Juul device was being banned because it contained nicotine at a concentration higher than 20 milligrams per milliliter and posed ‘a grave risk to public health’.
The Ministry added that the ban was consistent with similar restrictions in Europe.
The ban, which goes into effect in 15 days, was signed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who holds the health portfolio.
In a statement on Tuesday, Juul Labs said it was ‘incredibly disappointed’ with what it called a ‘misguided’ decision by the Israeli government. The San Francisco company said it planned to appeal the ban, adding that its devices provided smokers with ‘a true alternative to combustible cigarettes’.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported in May that Juul e-cigarettes were available for purchase at 30 locations around the country.
Addicted to nonsense
