In the past week, Nigerian cyberspace got buzzing when the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole instructed the Nigerian police to arrest defaulters of the ban on tobacco products including Shisha.
“Let me stress that the ban on tobacco products with characterising flavours is still in place and the ban includes shisha because it has flavour,” he said.
Shisha smoking which was traditionally used by people from Middle Eastern or Asian community groups is becoming increasingly popular among all groups in cities around the world, is a way of smoking tobacco through a bowl with a hose or tube.
Surprisingly it is the new cool among most youths and social climbers in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. The tube has a mouthpiece that the smoker uses to breath in the smoke.
What Are the risks of Smoking Shisha
The shisha tube is taken in from a mouthpiece from which the smoker inhales the smoke from the substances being burnt into their lungs.
A report from the British Heart Foundation reveals that Shisha pipes use tobacco sweetened with fruit or molasses sugar, which makes the smoke more aromatic than cigarette smoke.
More reports reveal that when one smokes shisha, you and anyone sitting near you are breathing in smoke which releases toxins including carbon monoxide and heavy metals –reducing your body’s ability to carry oxygen around in your blood.
Popular flavours include apple, plum, coconut, mango, mint, strawberry and cola. Wood, coal, or charcoal is burned in the shisha pipe to heat the tobacco and create the smoke because the fruit syrup or sugar makes the tobacco damp.
Watch the video above to see the risks one is exposed to as a result of shisha smoking.