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Israelis contemplate quitting smoking amid pandemic

The Israel Cancer Association published a report that says 51 percent of Israeli citizens between 18 and 24 have been debating whether or not to quit smoking.

By Joseph Wolkin, World Israel News

The coronavirus pandemic has given people across the globe plenty of time to debate with themselves. With more time spent at home than ever before, it’s no wonder that Israeli citizens are contemplating whether or not they should stop smoking cigarettes.

The Israel Cancer Association published a report on Sunday that says 51 percent of Israeli citizens between 18 and 24 have been debating whether or not to quit smoking. To top it off, 49 percent of young Israelis who do smoke said they have been doing so less frequently.

“Over the years, the manipulative strategy and aggressive marketing by the tobacco and nicotine industry were aimed at continuing to recruit youth and young adults to the smoking population,” Miri Ziv, vice chairman of the Israel Cancer Association, said.

“The public in Israel must be protected against the financial interests of the tobacco industry and maintain its basic right to health,” she continued. “Policymakers must provide tools that have been proven effective in fighting the smoking epidemic and act to implement effective, rigorous enforcement, such as raising the legal smoking age and increasing taxes on smoking products, which is the main proven strategy for reducing the demand for smoking products among youngsters. All this so we can raise a generation of tobacco-free and addiction-free citizens.”
Smoking cigarettes is considered extremely harmful for people who have the coronavirus, increasing breathing issues within their lungs.

The survey featured 629 people over the age 18 and was conducted by the Ipsos Institute.

The Israel Cancer Association said approximately 80,000 Israelis have died over the past 10 years due to “the harmful effects of smoking.” Additionally, the association stated that adolescents who vape “double their chances of smoking combustible cigarettes later in life.”

“We must not believe the lies being fed by tobacco companies, who pretend as if they are marketing free choice, while in fact their only interest is in maintaining their financial gains – without considering the millions of people who pay with their health and lives each year,” Dana Frost, the health promotion specialist for the Israel Cancer Association, said.