Israel: Towards a total ban on tobacco advertising

Tobacco advertising could be permanently and completely banned in Israel, as called for in a bill approved by the National Committee on Legislation. The bill is expected to pass its first reading on Wednesday, March 1.^er December in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament.

In January 2020, the Knesset adopted new advertising legislation, including a ban on tobacco advertising in the media and the removal of shelf space (tobacco product displays at points of sale). The new regulations also provided for the introduction of plain packaging for most tobacco products and the placement of health warnings on both sides of the packaging.

Conflict of interest at the root of regulatory gaps

However, the adoption of this law had been deemed insufficient by several health experts public. Indeed, the law, in its ban on advertising tobacco products, left an exception for the written press. According to the Jerusalem Post, this provision was passed following pressure from United Torah Judaism, a coalition of ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi parties. Indeed, several newspapers Haredi, of religious and conservative obedience, benefit from advertising funding from the tobacco industry[1]However, to be fully effective, the ban on advertising must be exhaustive, in order to avoid a communicating vessels effect.

Israel, a global player in the fight against smoking

Historically, Israel has been a leader in the global fight against tobacco. In 1983, two decades before the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Israel passed legislation restricting tobacco advertising and imposed smoking bans in many public places, such as cinemas, theaters, medical and educational institutions, and buses. However, figures show that Israel is currently lagging behind in the fight against tobacco use: while smoking prevalence has been declining since 1970, it appears to have stagnated at around 20% over the past decade. Some of the slow progress can be attributed to interference from manufacturers, who notably defeated an amendment to restrict tobacco advertising and marketing. However, when it comes to new products, Israel appears to have neutralized some of the tobacco industry's strategies. The country has imposed plain packaging and health warnings for heated tobacco products and aligned taxation with that of manufactured cigarettes.[2].

©Generation Without Tobacco

FT