Kibbutz Maagan Michael was named last night the headquarters of Israel’s new anti-smoking movement. All but 40 of the settlement’s 400 members have given up smoking. Last night dozens of non-smokers’ and people who have broken the habit convened at the kibbutz to attend a meeting sponsored by the Health Ministry to form a society for the abolition of smoking. Its slogan is “Non-Smokers of the World-Unite!” Its aim is to convince people not to smoke by demonstrating the dangers to health that arise from smoking.
The society intends to rely on group therapy to help those who find it hard to give up smoking. Asked if cutting down on cigarettes would not reduce the tax revenues accruing to Israel’s Treasury, one kibbutz member said they were told by the Health Ministry this would be balanced by the reduced sums the State would have to spend on health services. There was no indication, however, of what this anti-smoking movement would do to those kibbutzim involved in tobacco growing.
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