One third of Croatian youths smoke

Croatia ranks third in Europe when it comes to teen smoking, according to experts who participated at a roundtable on youth tobacco and alcohol consumption, organized by the Croatian Public Health Institute.

Doctors attending the gathering backed a plan to raise excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, believing it will deter school-age children from consuming these products. The Croatian Employer’s Association, which represents some companies that produce tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, is opposed to the tax hike, claiming it will only drive up illegal sales.

Research into youth drinking and smoking in Croatia shows that 4% of boys and 1% of girls admit to having been intoxicated at least twice, according to Ivana Pavić Šimetin, the deputy director of the Public Health Institute. One of the problems is access to alcohol and tobacco in Croatia, which are cheaper than they are in other EU countries. Pavić Šimetin called for tougher restriction on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products, including raising taxes on these products.

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs in 2015 showed that among Croatian youths aged 16 to 18, 33 percent were smokers and 54% had consumed alcohol in the past month. Danijela Štimac from the Public Health Institute believes that in order to reverse these dangerous trends, Croatia needs a comprehensive policy. She offered an example illustrating how low prices contribute to the problem.

“A shot of brandy costs 6 kuna at a café, while a glass of pressed juice costs 25 kuna,” she said.

The prices of tobacco products in Croatia are also very low, ranking only second to Bulgaria as the lowest in Europe, according to Krunosalv Cepak, also from the Croatian Public Health Institute. Restricting access and a more effective pricing policy, as suggested by the World Health Organization, would reduce consumption among teens, he said. Raising the price of tobacco products is strongly opposed by tobacco companies, who argue it would only give rise to black market sales.