Shisha to be targeted in new youth campaign

Luxembourg's Health Ministry will launch a campaign to raise awareness about the harmful effects of smoking shisha.

The campaign will be targeted predominantly at young people, who “are attracted by the fun and convivial side of this type of smoking,” Health Minister Lydia Mutsch said responding to a parliamentary question.

Surveys conducted in Luxembourg show that in 2013, 5 percent of the population had smoked shisha, around 22,000 smokers. Of that number, a fifth were young people aged 15 to 25, equivalent to one in five youngsters.

The minister went on to say that the smoking law which banned smoking in bars and cafés from January 1, 2015, also banned shisha smoking.

“Fifty puffs on a shisha over the course of an hour is the equivalent of smoking two packets of cigarettes

Venues serving shisha in public must, therefore, provide a smoking room. However, the minister said youngsters remain unaware of the harmful effects of smoking shisha.

While tobacco makes up on a quarter of the substance smoked in a shisha, the smoke inhaled is highly carcinogenic.

“Fifty puffs on a shisha over the course of an hour is the equivalent of smoking two packets of cigarettes,” the minister said.

“The carbon monoxide present is seven times higher in shisha as in cigarettes. Not only is smoking shisha addictive, but it can significantly increase the risk of cancer, chronic bronchitis and cardio-vascular problems,” she added.

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