New law mandating graphic images of smoking dangers on tobacco product packaging takes effect

Israel has implemented a new law requiring all tobacco and smoking products, including e-cigarettes and hookahs, to feature graphic images of smoking-related harms on their packaging, covering 75% of the surface. This measure, effective Sunday, also mandates scientific information and details for cessation hotlines, alongside a dark brown (Pantone 448C) background for the remaining 25%.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and from today it may also save lives, authentically convey the devastating effects of tobacco and deter even those who do not smoke,

said Moshe Bar Haim, CEO of the Israel Cancer Association, emphasizing the law as a "very dramatic milestone in the fight against smoking." The legislation, part of the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, faced over two decades of opposition before its final implementation. The Israel Cancer Association also expressed concern over rising smoking rates, particularly among youth using e-cigarettes, and advocates for banning sweet-flavored smoking products.