Can Israel finally stub out smoking? Experts turn to AI, brain stimulation, and new drugs

A recent conference in Jerusalem, organized by the Medical Society for Smoking Prevention and Cessation, addressed Israel's rising smoking rates, which have increased from one in five to one in four adults. Despite 12,000 Israelis dying annually from tobacco-related causes, including 900 non-smokers, Dr. Ariel Rokach noted, "This news should have shaken the country, but it didn’t." Experts discussed various strategies to combat this trend, including the upcoming implementation of graphic warning images on tobacco products and the removal of duty-free privileges for these items at airports. New approaches include deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (Deep TMS), psychedelic treatments, and GLP-1 receptor agonists. Additionally, proposals were made for mandatory smoking prevention courses for offenders and a public complaint hotline for smoking violations. Prof. Zvi Fried-Lender highlighted, "Many more Israelis died from tobacco than from wars. We have failed to stop it."