ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to impose a complete ban on the commercial use of “Sheesha” to protect the health of the country’s youth. According to an official of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, after imposing the ban, there would be complete restriction on the sale of such tobacco item in cafes and shops in the markets. He said that there would be a complete ban on the opening of any sheesha centre or cafe in hotels, markets or public places while the its sale would also be banned in bazars. He said that the notification in this regard would be issued soon by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in accordance with Prohibition of smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002. He said the decision was taken to discourage the country’s youth from the unhealthy practice of sheesha smoking that badly affected their health. He said that the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination had also recommended to impose a ban on sheesha smoking. Using sheesha smoke poses a serious potential health hazard to smokers and others exposed to the smoke emitted, he added. The second hand smoke from Sheesha poses a serious risk for non-smokers, as it contains smoke not only from the tobacco but also from the heat source. Dr Wasim Khawaja from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said that sheesha was the flavoured tobacco used in the smoking process using water pipes. He added the process of smoking sheesha started when tobacco was soaked on fruits shavings such as apple, grapes and strawberries. He said that due to the mode of sheesha smoking including the frequency of puffing, the depth of inhalation, and the length of the smoking session, sheesha smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the toxins found in cigarette smoke, increasing the hazard to the body. He said that the charcoal used to heat tobacco in the sheesha pipes increases the health risks. Even after it has passed through water, the smoke produced by a sheesha contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and cancer-causing chemicals, he added He said that sheesha tobacco and smoke contain numerous toxic substances known to cause lung, bladder, andoral cancers. A typical one-hour session of sheesha smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.