Ghana to ban shisha smoking by mid year

Smoking of shisha and electronic cigarette will be banned in Ghana by the middle of the year, Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said.

The GHS says it is collaborating with the Ministry of Health to place an outright ban on the two substances.

It will also partner the Food and Drugs Board to make stiff laws that will fast track the process of the ban.

According the GHS, shisha, which is mixed with flavourings such as mint, is more "harmful than cigarette".

Speaking at the World Conference on Tobacco held in Cape Town, South Africa, Principal Research Officer at the Service, of GHS, Mr Logoh noted that it was important to ban the smoking of shisha as the trend was becoming alarming.

“The FDA does not have the regulation right now to control the smoking of shisha and electronic cigarette,"he said.

"However, we’re working with the Ministry of Health to ban shisha and electronic cigarette. Shisha use is more harmful than cigarette, if you puff one from that tube it’s equal to one full cigarette that is smoked. "It is more dangerous than cigarette, so with that alone as well as public health is concerned we’re using that to ban it outright in Ghana. By the middle of this year, that surely has to be done.”

Commonly used by the youth, it has been revealed shisha smoking is 5.3% higher than traditional tobacco use such as cigarette which is 2.8%.

According to the Principal Research Officer at the Service, Divine Darlington Logoh, a new research conducted by his outfit identified a switch from smoking traditional cigarette to electronic cigarette and Shisha.

Just like smoking herbal or natural cigarettes, herbal Shisha exposes the smoker to tar and carcinogens as it contains nicotine.

According to health report, in a 60-minute Shisha session, smokers are exposed to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.