The Ministry of Narcotics Control (MoNC) organised an advocacy workshop on Friday against sheesha smoking. Narcotics Control Parliamentary Secretary Syed Inayat Ali Shah was the chief guest on the occasion. MoNC Planning and Monitoring Unit Director General Muhammad Shahid, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Institute of Psychiatry Fareed Minhas Head, Dr Nadeem Rehman and a large number people attended the workshop.
Inayat Ali Shah vowed to raise the issue in the parliament and move for passing legislation against the menace. He said extensive awareness campaigns were needed to educate the youth about the hazards of smoking sheesha and other drugs.
He also requested media representatives and the civil society to take an active part in making the masses aware of the harmful effects of Sheesha.
Shahid informed the participants about the findings of a research conducted on substance abuse amongst women in Pakistan, titled, ‘Gender Justice and Protection Project’ in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). He said the study was based on a survey conducted in the country’s urban centres, including Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta. He said the report stated that the most common drugs used by respondents was charas, heroin and alcohol, adding that the use of sheesha with charas and other drugs was found to be an emerging trend.
He added that drug dependant women become mentally and emotionally unstable and that half of the respondents confirmed that fact saying they were involved in a violent family encounter in their homes as a result of drug use. He stated that smoking sheesha was perceived to be a status symbol and young girls and boys, unaware of the side-effects of smoking sheesha, indulged in it as a recreational activity.
Dr Nadeem Rehman presented his research on the topic, ‘Sheesha Myth, Reality or Addiction?’ He said smoking sheesha smoking has become a popular trend in the country. He added that using a sheesha to smoke tobacco posed a serious potential health hazard to smokers and others who were exposed to secondhand smoke. He added that using a sheesha to smoke tobacco was not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.
He stated that a typical one-hour water pipe smoking session involved inhaling 100-200 times more smoke than what was inhaled while smoking one cigarette. “Even after it has been passed through water, the smoke produced by a water pipe contains high levels of toxic compounds, like heavy metals and carcinogenic chemicals,” he said.
Rehman stated that sharing a mouthpiece posed a risk of transmitting communicable diseases, including tuberculosis and hepatitis, adding that tobacco is often sweetened and flavoured, making it very appealing.
