For years, electronic cigarettes were marketed as a “clean" and safe alternative to traditional smoking, but a comprehensive study recently published in the prestigious scientific journal npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine indicates that electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes, may be a particularly dangerous health trap.
The comprehensive meta-analysis, which analyzed data from more than 4.3 million participants across 17 different studies, points to a clear link between the use of electronic cigarettes and a significant increase in the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an incurable condition characterized by persistent inflammation in the lungs and restricted airflow.
According to the findings, current users of electronic cigarettes are at a 47.3% higher risk of developing the disease compared with those who have never used them. Among those who vaped in the past, the data are even more concerning - a risk 76.6% higher than the general population. The data prove that damage to the respiratory system may remain long after use has stopped.
While the smoking rate among Israel’s general population stands at about 20%, among the haredi public the numbers are nearly double, approaching 30% and even 40%. The entry of electronic cigarettes and vapes into the market has only worsened the situation, especially among yeshiva students and youth.
In addition, vaping is an acceptable activity even within the study halls of haredi yeshivas, among people who would smoke a regular cigarette only outside.
Recently, a government committee suggested applying a licensing and enforcement mechanism to the entire supply chain, including a computerized monitoring system, and legislating a new tobacco law that would allow the confiscation of illegal products. Additional regulatory measures are also being examined, such as limiting the size, color, and shape of the devices.
Meanwhile, the law to prevent smoking in public places already grants local authority heads and their inspectors enforcement powers, and the money collected from fines is transferred in full to their coffers. As part of the reporting requirement, the Enforcement and Supervision Division demanded that local authorities present their enforcement data for 2025.
The data show that 92 local authorities submitted reports for 2025, compared with about 80 authorities who submitted reports on 2024 and only 50 who submitted data from 2023. Despite the increase in the number of reporting authorities, the total number of fines in the country remained stable: 11,692 fines in 2025, compared with 11,605 in 2024.
The enforcement map reveals dramatic gaps: Jerusalem leads by a huge margin, with 4,240 fines issued by 440 smoking enforcement inspectors. Haifa and Tel Aviv are also in the top ten - Haifa Municipality issued about 2,500 fines with only 40 inspectors, and Tel Aviv-Jaffa issued 1,320 fines during 2025.
However, in Rishon Lezion, the fourth-largest authority in the country and considered well-off in terms of finances, only 120 fines were issued - significantly low enforcement relative to the size of the population.
In Ashdod and Ness Ziona, zero fines were issued, indicating a complete lack of enforcement. The same was true in Herzliya, Ra’anana, Ramat Hasharon, Mevasseret Zion, and Yokneam Illit. In Rosh Ha'ayin, only one fine was issued throughout all of 2025, and in Rehovot, only 10 fines were issued in total.
The gaps are also evident in exposure to passive smoking: 28.9% of the Jewish population and 48.5% of the Arab population are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Meanwhile, an average of 33 Israelis die every day from smoking-related damage - nearly one in every four deaths in the country.
According to findings from a study that examined the rates of deaths attributable to smoking in Israel, in 2022, about 12,386 deaths could be attributed to smoking - about 23% of all mortality in the country. Most cases are attributed to active smoking, alongside an additional contribution from passive smoking. The data indicate an increase in recent years, following the previous study conducted in 2014.