Sheesha/ Smoking… What’s the difference?

How using Sheesha pipes can be just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes yet Sheesha businesses are still going strong

By Iyma Atiq

Studies carried out over the past few years have proven that consumption of Sheesha pipes is just as dangerous as the well known effects of smoking. Whether or not this has had an effect on the consumption of Sheesha pipes in the UK remains to be seen. Smoking a sheesha pipe for a mere hour is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes. Sheesha, also known as Hookah or Marra Pipe is a type of smoking usually used for social enjoyment among a group of people. The UK has seen a vast growth in the number of Sheesha lounges being opened across its major cities. The continuing thousand of businesses opened across the country has aided in the promotion of consuming sheesha pipes and expanding its vast growing business empire. According to market research carried out by a company, in Starcity Erdington, the majority ethnic group here in the UK that smokes Sheesha pipes are that of the Asian community. More specifically the research indicated that it is around 73% of the male population in Birmingham alone that do this. The majority of sheesha smokers in Birmingham range between the ages of 18 and 24 and most claimed they only did it as a social activity partaking in it monthly not daily as a habit. It has been made aware to the city council of Birmingham that Sheesha smoking  is on the rise and they have announced in recent months, plans to raise awareness among the Asian community about its dangers in a bit to raise caution to the public about health and the risks of consuming the pipe too much.  These plans include more public advertisements aiming to raise awareness and caution to the public about the damages of too much sheesha smoking. The press release from the city council announced plans of the NHS to combine with local authorities to launch awareness campaigns particularly aimed at students in Birmingham giving facts and figures so that at least some caution may be taken before people consume the pipe too much.  It has also been announced that cinema adverts are being produced and broadcast in Birmingham cinemas as part of the awareness campaign. The campaigners have made it clear that their aim is not to stop people from smoking sheesha but rather to raise awareness and caution to the fact that too much can be very damaging to health.  Only time will tell whether the message has been understood by the public clearly or not.