Pakistan in the grips of sheesha epidemic

Sheesha emerged as a style icon in the elite circles in the beginning but within a short span, Sheeshas fan club covered people from nearly all groups of society.

This trend has spread all over the country like a virus. Many restaurants and cafes are offering sheesha in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and other cities of the country. This flavored pipe smoking is gaining popularity especially among the younger generation. Students can be seen smoking sheesha in the famous restaurants or in the small roadside cafes.

As girls stood side by side with the boys, they also enjoy sheesha smoking in gatherings. Ayesha Latif, a visitor at the finest spot of sheesha said that, “According to me girls find smoking sheesha really very cool. It gives quite modish look. It’s not about the addiction of it but just a mean of fun. Girls usually prefer to come to Jungle Spot as it is a safe place for them to smoke in veil.”

A group of girls and boys enlightened the symptoms of sheesha, “It causes headaches, blurred vision, palpitation and dizziness.”

A worker of Jungle Spot stated that, “Burning jurak with coal results in greater absorption of carbon monoxide than when an electrical device used.”

It is believed that the usage of tobacco has comparatively decreased but that of sheesha, a modern way of addiction is increasing day by day in Punjab province especially in the capital city.

Dr. Waseem Khuwaja declared that, “Sheesha smokers have higher levels of carbon monoxide in their blood than cigarette smokers. It greatly increases absorption of carbon monoxide if it is smoked before sleeping. It may increase the risk of heart disease, arterioscleroses and chronic respiratory disease. Sheesha smoke may trigger an asthma attack. Its smokers exhibit higher levels of total cholesterol than cigarette smokers. Smoking sheesha increases gastric acidity, thus increasing the chance of peptic ulcers.”

Now it is up to the concerned how intelligently they tackle this issue. Instead of declaring a complete ban, minor initiatives like strict action against serving it to underage teens, heavy taxations, official checks and certain restrictions on Sheesha bars etc will act as smarter tools for this cause.

Whatever the case maybe, formulating a serious strategy and then properly enforcing it for offsetting the gripping Sheesha culture is an imperative need of the hour.