Israel bans Juul e-cigarette, ‘a grave danger to public health’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday signed a warrant barring the import and sale of US Juul e-cigarettes in Israel.

Netanyahu did so at the request of Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and the recommendation of Health Ministry officials.

A statement from the ministry noted that the device, has extremely high levels of nicotine and poses “a grave danger to public health.”

Juul pods contain 59 milligrams of nicotine for every milliliter of liquid, much higher than the 6-30 milligrams in other e-cigarettes. The device has already been banned in the European Union for passing the permitted 20mg/ml limit.

The ban is expected to enter into effect within two weeks.

Juul entered the Israeli market in May. In the past two years it has become the most popular e-cigarette in the US, and is said to be particularly popular with teens.

Experts have said that e-cigarettes and vaping devices, though marketed as safer than regular cigarettes, could pose health risks due to their high levels of nicotine, and have warned that the products are too new to allow reliable research on their long-term effects.