Dim Amor
The Health Minister's report on smoking in Israel for 2024 reveals a disturbing and concerning picture that places the State of Israel at a significant gap from global standards. The data, published this week, indicates a public health crisis that requires immediate and comprehensive intervention.
One in five adults in Israel smokes – a rate 30 percent higher than the global average. This grave figure places Israel among the leading countries in the world in smoking rates, with the gap between different populations in the country reaching dramatic proportions. In Arab society, the rate of smoking exposure is almost twice as high as in Jewish society, with 40.3 percent of Arab men smoking – a figure that places this population at extreme health risk.
The data reveals a significant failure in Israel's ability to help smokers quit the harmful habit. The smoking cessation rate in Israel is 50 percent lower than the average in OECD countries, a fact indicating a shortage of effective cessation programs and the required support system. Simultaneously, about a quarter of non-smokers in Israel are exposed to involuntary smoking – a phenomenon that also puts them at health risk and demonstrates failure in enforcing existing laws.
The youth situation raises particular concern. Among Israeli teenagers, the electronic cigarette has become the main smoking product, with 53 percent citing it as the first product they tried. This phenomenon indicates a significant failure in control and supervision systems over electronic sales to minors. The widespread use of flavored smoking products exacerbates the situation: 88 percent in hookah, 82 percent in electronic cigarettes, and 45 percent in regular cigarettes or rolling tobacco.
In the ultra-Orthodox sector, the findings are particularly shocking. 54 percent of boys experimented with smoking in high school yeshivas, while in high schools for ultra-Orthodox dropout youth, the rate jumps to 80 percent. These data indicate a deep social and cultural crisis requiring urgent intervention by community leaders and rabbis.
The local enforcement and control system is in a state of serious failure. Only 82 local authorities reported activity in smoking prevention, while over 65 percent of authorities do not report their activities as required. Moreover, many of the reporting authorities do not actually enforce the law, creating significant gaps in the fight against the phenomenon.
In response to the serious findings, the Ministry of Health announced a series of new measures. New regulations for graphic warning labeling on cigarette packs were recently approved, and the ministry is working to advance a ban on the sale of disposable and flavored electronic cigarettes. Simultaneously, the ministry plans to raise taxes on tobacco products and equalize tax rates between different products.
The measures are designed to reduce the smoking rate, decrease smoking exposure, and reduce accessibility and addiction, particularly among youth. The Ministry of Health emphasized that the fight against smoking constitutes a national responsibility for public health, and the ministry will continue to act with all available tools at its disposal.
The 2024 report places the State of Israel facing a complex health challenge requiring coordinated action by all stakeholders – from local authorities to the education system, and from various communities to medical authorities. Without immediate and determined action, the alarming data may worsen and exact a heavy price on Israeli public health.
