The Health Ministry last Wednesday proposed a law that would entail nearly a complete ban on the advertising of cigarettes, reports Israel National News.

The Ministry's memorandum of law would “generally prohibit the advertisement of tobacco products to reduce public exposure to advertising for those products that cause death, disease and disability.” It would extend the current ban, which covers advertising on TV, radio and billboards.
Tobacco advertising would be restricted to the inside of stores that only sell cigarettes and smoking accessories. Signs in other stores, such as groceries and supermarkets, can list only the name of the product and the price, and cannot exceed 30 square centimeters.
Ads would be permitted on the internet or via e-mail, but only to recipients who signed up to receive such messages, or on sites that are associated with smokers.
Cigarette manufacturers would be banned from sponsoring festivals, public parties, or other events.
The proposal also seeks the replacement of the current text warnings on cigarette packs by graphic warnings.
In addition, cigarette makers will be required to tell the Ministry exactly what it is in their products, and the ingredient list – except for ingredients the Ministry deems to be “secret” – will be published.
Fines – of between NIS 75,000 (EUR 14,518) and NIS 452,000 (87,500), per violation – will be imposed on individuals and companies that break the law. (pi)