E-cigarette Advertising Misleads Croatian Youth, Expert Warns

Regulations by 2FIRSTS.ai
Dec.15.2023
E-cigarette Advertising Misleads Croatian Youth, Expert Warns
Croatian public health expert warns of the dangers of e-cigarettes, highlighting the misleading advertising and accessibility to young people.

According to Croatian media outlet Glas Slavonije, Dr. Miodrag Beneš, a public health expert in Croatia, delivered a lecture to seventh and eighth-grade students at Ivan Brlić Mažuranić Elementary School in Orahovica on the topic of e-cigarettes.

 

He explicitly stated that e-cigarette advertising portrays it as a harmless product, misleading teenagers, and this phenomenon is particularly severe in Croatia.

 

Dr. Benešh, during a lecture, revealed that he has visited the majority of schools in the province and discovered students purchasing e-cigarettes near the school entrance. "E-cigarettes are marketed as a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes, but in reality, the opposite is true," he added.

 

He further added that young people nowadays are putting various small pouches from their pockets into their mouths, thereby directly absorbing nicotine through the mucous membrane. "This may lead to oral cancer and gum cancer," he pointed out. He highlighted that e-cigarettes contain formaldehyde, which is used to preserve dead bodies, in addition to nicotine.

 

He ultimately condemned the open selling of these products to children and adolescents throughout Croatia, firmly opposing such behavior, and suggesting that their purchase should be prohibited for the sake of the well-being and normal development of children.

 

We welcome news tips, article submissions, interview requests, or comments on this piece.

Please contact us at info@2firsts.com, or reach out to Alan Zhao, CEO of 2Firsts, on LinkedIn


Notice

1.  This article is intended solely for professional research purposes related to industry, technology, and policy. Any references to brands or products are made purely for objective description and do not constitute any form of endorsement, recommendation, or promotion by 2Firsts.

2.  The use of nicotine-containing products — including, but not limited to, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, nicotine pouchand heated tobacco products — carries significant health risks. Users are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and regulations in their respective jurisdictions.

3.  This article is not intended to serve as the basis for any investment decisions or financial advice. 2Firsts assumes no direct or indirect liability for any inaccuracies or errors in the content.

4.  Access to this article is strictly prohibited for individuals below the legal age in their jurisdiction.

 

Copyright

 

This article is either an original work created by 2Firsts or a reproduction from third-party sources with proper attribution. All copyrights and usage rights belong to 2Firsts or the original content provider. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or any other form of unauthorized use by any individual or organization is strictly prohibited. Violators will be held legally accountable.

For copyright-related inquiries, please contact: info@2firsts.com

 

AI Assistance Disclaimer

 

This article may have been enhanced using AI tools to improve translation and editorial efficiency. However, due to technical limitations, inaccuracies may occur. Readers are encouraged to refer to the cited sources for the most accurate information.

We welcome any corrections or feedback. Please contact us at: info@2firsts.com

NAS 2026 | Former FDA Tobacco Chief Mitch Zeller Calls for Shift From “End Game” to “End State”
NAS 2026 | Former FDA Tobacco Chief Mitch Zeller Calls for Shift From “End Game” to “End State”
At the 2026 New Approaches Summit in New York, former FDA Center for Tobacco Products Director Mitch Zeller called for the tobacco harm reduction debate to shift from the traditional “end game” toward defining a desired “end state.” He also highlighted unresolved concerns around dual use, argued that biomarkers of exposure may be more meaningful than cigarettes-per-day in assessing risk reduction, and said nicotine misperceptions remain a major barrier to public health progress.
Sep.25
Latest UK ONS Data: 54% of Vapers Are Former Cigarette Smokers, 26% Also Smoke and 20% Never Smoked Regularly
Latest UK ONS Data: 54% of Vapers Are Former Cigarette Smokers, 26% Also Smoke and 20% Never Smoked Regularly
Former cigarette smokers accounted for an estimated 54% of current e-cigarette users in Great Britain in 2025, while 26% also smoked cigarettes and 20% had never regularly smoked, according to a 2Firsts analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. Among former cigarette smokers who currently vape, approximately 81% used e-cigarettes daily, compared with about 50% of dual users. The ONS found that 33.8% of current cigarette smokers also vaped in 2025, up from 10.6% in 2014. Approximately 1.1 million adults who had never regularly smoked cigarettes used e-cigarettes, representing 2.9% of that population, compared with 0.2% in 2014. The figures highlight differences in the composition, frequency of use and long-term trends across Britain's vaping population.
DATA
Oct.14
From Product Innovation to Integrated Solutions: NEXTECH Expands Its Global Heated Tobacco Solutions
From Product Innovation to Integrated Solutions: NEXTECH Expands Its Global Heated Tobacco Solutions
NEXTECH launched its NEXE Pro circumferential-heating tobacco stick globally at InterTabac 2026, as the company expands from product innovation into broader heated tobacco solutions. Amid intensifying competition across global HTP markets, NEXTECH is strengthening its R&D, manufacturing and pre-launch support capabilities to serve different types of business customers.
Industry Insight
Sep.15
South Korea Fully Reviews Nicotine-Analog and Nicotine-Free Vape Liquid Imports, With Over 99% From China and Chinese Supply-Chain Documents Under Scrutiny
South Korea Fully Reviews Nicotine-Analog and Nicotine-Free Vape Liquid Imports, With Over 99% From China and Chinese Supply-Chain Documents Under Scrutiny
Korea Customs Service has tightened import controls on nicotine-analog and nicotine-free e-cigarette liquids, placing the products under 100% document review and subjecting all e-cigarette liquid import declarations to pre-clearance ingredient analysis. As of September 20, 2026, South Korea had imported about 15 metric tons of nicotine-analog liquids, 99.99% from China, and about 316 metric tons of nicotine-free liquids, including roughly 315 metric tons, or 99.7%, from China. The measures follow South Korea's April expansion of its tobacco definition to include synthetic nicotine products and include new checks on Chinese manufacturing, transaction and export documentation.
Sep.24
China STMA Deputy Administrator Meets KT&G COO as Heated Cigarette Rules Advance
China STMA Deputy Administrator Meets KT&G COO as Heated Cigarette Rules Advance
Wang Gongcheng, deputy administrator of China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, met KT&G Chief Operating Officer Lee Sang-hak in Shanghai on September 1, according to Oriental Tobacco News. The meeting comes as China seeks public comment on a draft mandatory national standard for heated cigarettes. The report did not disclose the subjects discussed or indicate whether heated tobacco products or market access were addressed.
News
Sep.02
PMI Expands Its Second Global and First Asian Business Services Hub in the Philippines, Serving 160 Markets and Scaling Up AI Capabilities
PMI Expands Its Second Global and First Asian Business Services Hub in the Philippines, Serving 160 Markets and Scaling Up AI Capabilities
Philip Morris International's PMI Business Solutions Philippines has expanded its global business services hub in Makati and plans to add more than 80 positions. Established in 2021 primarily to provide finance and IT support to about 20 markets, the center now employs 519 professionals delivering roughly 600 services across 160 markets. Its functions now span finance, human resources, IT, commercial operations, data analytics, supply chain and project management. PMI says the hub's next phase will focus on AI-enabled and higher-value work. The company did not disclose the size or investment cost of the expansion.
Sep.24