The Health Ministry has reportedly banned importing the Juul electronic cigarette, after Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) determined that the company's e-cigarettes contain too much tobacco, Kikar Hashabbat claimed.
Haaretz noted that Juul, for its part, has threatened to take legal action, since the Health Ministry is not banning all e-cigarettes.
However, the Health Ministry has denied imposing a ban, claiming that it is merely considering measures to take regarding the e-cigarettes until legislation can be passed regulating e-cigarettes in Israel.
Currently, e-cigarettes are allowed to be sold to children, and unlike regular cigarettes, there is no ban on advertising e-cigarettes.
The Juul e-cigarette, which looks like a USB drive and comes in various colors, made its debut in Israel earlier this year after becoming popular among American youth. Israel and the US are currently the only countries permitting the sale of Juul's e-cigarettes.
Last week, Deputy Attorney General Raz Nizri told Litzman that Israel's Supreme Court opposed banning the sale of e-cigarettes in Israel. Nizri therefore suggested that the Health Ministry regulate the manufacture and sale of the products, Kikar Hashabbat said.
Nizri also suggested that Litzman temporarily ban the Juul on the basis of the fact that it may pose serious health risks, since it contains unusually large amounts of nicotine.
Juul was invented to help severely-addicted smokers wean themselves off of regular cigarettes.
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