A medical officer at Pantang Hospital has warned young people against smoking Shisha due to the dangers it poses to their health.
Dr. Kwesi Antwi Koranteng noted that smoking Shisha increases the risk of developing lung cancer.
He stated that smoking Shisha increases the risk of getting lung infections by 16 times.
The medical practitioner indicated that cocaine, crack, and Shisha abuse have reached dangerously high levels. We will be facing a crisis.
Speaking on Frontlines on Rainbow Radio 87.5 FM, Dr. Kwesi Antwi Koranteng said: “It is like we are sitting on a time bomb because the abuse of drugs and alcohol has reached alarming levels. The abuse of marijuana, shisha, and other hard drugs has reached alarming levels. When you do the chemical composition of the Shisha, it is dangerous and can increase your risk of getting lung cancer by 16 times. But people see it as fashionable, and you see people abusing it. It is very dangerous, and when I see people abusing it, I become sad.
The other thing I want to point out is rock and tie and the cough mixture. One person can purchase one box of the cough mixture and abuse it. It has some components that give them some good feelings, but it is dangerous and has serious health implications. This is a serious matter we have to address. Some people abuse this compliment because of their feelings. When I first heard of the super glue and how people sniffed it, I was surprised. So this is a time bomb we have to address as a country. The level of drug abuse is something we have to deal with immediately.”
Rehabilitating from drug use, he noted, was expensive, with some rehab centres charging GHC7,000 a month.
“Drug misuse becomes worse over time. That’s why some people started with wee and subsequently moved on to regular powder cocaine. until they reach the point of cocaine misuse. The adverse effects are more severe, and because you must maintain that lifestyle, you resort to any means necessary to satisfy your needs. You also harm your body by abusing drugs. You will also lose your ability to say no since you have forfeited that opportunity and have become damaged,” he emphasised.
Shisha is a specially prepared tobacco that is burnt to produce smoke that bubbles through a bowl of water and into a long, hose-like pipe where it is inhaled.
Smokers inhale smoke using pipes with mouthpieces.
It comes in a variety of tastes and is occasionally blended with dark brown sugar (molasses sugar), which gives the smoke a sweet aroma.
It is typically heated by burning wood, coal, or charcoal. Smoking has become popular across the country, which the medical officer believes is a threat to public health.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
