Electronic cigarette
Electronic cigaretteiStock

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in his position as Health Minister, signed the final decree banning the marketing and import of the electronic Juul cigarette in Israel.

A statement by the Health Ministry said the Juul was banned because it contains nicotine at a concentration higher than 20 milligrams per milliliter and poses “a grave risk to public health”. The ban on import and marketing of the product will come into effect in about two weeks.

"At the request of the Deputy Health Minister and at the recommendation of the professional echelon in the ministry, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu today signed an order prohibiting the import and marketing of the Juul cigarette," the Health Ministry announced Tuesday evening.

"The decision to ban the import and marketing of the product containing nicotine at a concentration greater than 20 milligrams per milliliter was made due to the serious public health danger," the Ministry added.

The move to ban the import and marketing of Juul in Israel has been in the works for several months. The company tried to prevent the order from being issued without success.

The European Union banned the import and marketing of the Juul electronic cigarette for the same reasons, while in the United States it remains a popular product especially among teenagers.