Shisha smoking banned in Cameroon

Shisha includes tobacco products that may be flavoured or non- flavoured that are consumed using a single or multi-stemmed smoking instrument that contains water or other liquid through which the smoke passes before reaching the smoker.

The syrup tobacco content includes molasses, honey, vegetable glycerol and fruit flavors including apple, grape, guava, lemon and mint. “Shisha smoking” means a form of consumption of shisha that utilizes a single or multi-stemmed smoking instrument to smoke shisha where the smoke is designed to pass through water or other liquid before reaching the smoker.

 

Is shisha addictive?

Shisha usually includes nicotine which is addictive. Nicotine is the same chemical used in cigarettes which makes cigarettes addictive too.

Nicotine is a chemical that makes your brain produce feelings of pleasure, but the effects don’t last very long. When the pleasing effects wear off, you feel the need to smoke again to trigger the feelings of pleasure again. The more you smoke, the more nicotine you need to feel good which is how an addiction to nicotine can happen.

Overall consumers of Sheesha, Among the different venue types, 94.6% of restaurants were compliant, 79.7% of bars and 75.6% of nightclubs. Recently Cameroon banned the smoking of Shisha saying it poses a health risk to young people.

Such as; 

• Heart Circulatory Disease
• Cancers
• Nicotine Addiction
• Respiratory Infections and conditions. 

About 46% of young Cameroonians smoke Shisha according to the Health Ministry. The British Heart Foundation says that there is a misconception that Shisha is not as harmful as cigarettes. 

Fun Fact; An hour-long session can be the equivalent of smoking more than 100 cigarettes. In recent years shisha has also been banned in Tanzania as well as Sudan – through the ban there has been reversed and reintroduced several times since.

The variation in compliance may be due to the higher number rates of use in university students and the additional resources required.