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Need to ban shisha before habit becomes entrenched

We thank Dr Danny Tan for his letter, “Banning shisha but not cigarettes a contradiction” (Nov 11).

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Lim Bee Khim, Director, Corporate Communications, Ministry of Health

We thank Dr Danny Tan for his letter, “Banning shisha but not cigarettes a contradiction” (Nov 11).

While shisha is a relatively recent development in Singapore compared with cigarettes, its use has been on an increase among youth and young adults.

The National Health Survey 2010 showed that 7.8 per cent of adults aged 18 to 29 years old smoked shisha at least occasionally, compared with 1 per cent among adults aged 30 years and above.

Also, the Student Health Survey found that the proportion of students who used alternative tobacco products, such as shisha, had increased from 2 per cent in 2009 to 9 per cent in 2012.

There is a genuine cause for concern that shisha smoking will encourage more youths to start smoking.

There are often misconceptions that shisha smoking is less harmful and addictive due to its sweet smelling smoke and the passing of smoke through water in the apparatus.

However, smoking shisha for 45 minutes is estimated to be equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes, which is more than an average smoker smokes in a week.

Shisha smokers are also exposed to a higher level of harmful toxicants, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals.

This is why it is no less harmful than other forms of tobacco use.

In view of the health risks associated with smoking shisha and its proliferation, it is timely and necessary to ban the import, distribution and sale of shisha now, to ensure that it does not become entrenched.

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