Ban upheld

The Israeli Supreme Court has rejected a petition filed by Juul Labs seeking a temporary injunction against the Ministry of Health’s decision to ban the sale and importation of Juul.

The ministry announced the ban amid concerns that the device contains high levels of nicotine and poses “a grave risk to public health.” The measure, signed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will take effect within 10 days.

Juul entered the Israeli market in May, selling its pods with a full nicotine content of 59 mg per pod, although in the U.K. the company sells pods with a reduced nicotine content to comply with European Union regulations.

The company maintains that, despite its higher nicotine content, Juul is safer than regular cigarettes. It said the ban “prevented many smokers from a much less damaging alternative which does not involve inhaling cancerous tobacco smoke, while at the same time cigarettes continue to be sold unhindered and different types of cigarettes continue to enter the Israeli market.”