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A proposed government bill from Israel’s Health Ministry will prohibit the production, import, marketing, and advertising of electronic cigarettes and related products across the country. Following a draft released in March and months of studying the issue in depth, the ministry decided that e-cig are dangerous products regardless of their ability to replace traditional cigarettes or help smokers kick the habit.

You can read more about the new bill here.

In addition to citing chemicals in the devices as a danger to public health, the ministry hammered on the death of a toddler which occurred one year ago in the country. Presumably, the toddler passed away after ingesting an undisclosed amount of nicotine liquid designed for used in electronic cigarettes. Tragic as this incident was, can we really blame the product?

The CDC estimates more than a million poisoning injuries a year here in the US. When children are involved — as is often the case with cleaning and cosmetic supply poisonings — we don’t generally say then don’t own the product. We generally focus on keeping the product out of the child’s hands.

Smoking in Israel is a fairly heated topic. One in five adults smoke there. It’s even worse among Arab citizens of which more than two in five smoke. And although the country passed laws banning smoking pretty much in all public or semi-public places, it appears few follow the rule and it’s not well enforced. Those that do smoke in Israel also appear to smoke more than the average cigarette user as well.

Just like in the US, smoking is big business in Israel where more than 1000 cigarettes are consumed per person in the country per year.

It is still possible this bill won’t pass. And even if it does, is also seems likely it won’t be enforced like the tobacco bills there. Either way, we’ll keep an eye on things there.