Croatian health experts: 'harmless' e-cigarette ads are misleading teenagers

Public health experts have warned that the sale of e-cigarettes to minors should be banned, saying that advertising for these products misleads teenagers.

According to a report by Croatian media outlet glas-slavonije, Croatian public health expert Dr. Miodrag Bene? gave seventh- and eighth-grade students at Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić Primary School in Orahovica an educational talk about e-cigarettes.

He stated clearly that advertising portrays e-cigarettes as harmless products, misleading young people, and that this phenomenon is particularly serious in Croatia.

During the lecture, Dr. Bene? said he had visited most schools in the county and found that some students were buying e-cigarettes at school gates. “E-cigarettes are advertised as a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes, but the reality is exactly the opposite,” he added.

He also said that young people today place various small pouches in their mouths and absorb nicotine directly through the mucous membranes, “which may lead to oral cancer and gum cancer.” He pointed out that in addition to nicotine, e-cigarettes also contain formaldehyde, a substance used in embalming.

He concluded by condemning the open sale of these products to children and teenagers across Croatia, firmly opposing such practices and arguing that minors should be prohibited from purchasing them for the sake of their health and normal lives.