Cameroon has banned the smoking of shisha, claiming that it is harmful to the health of the primarily young people who smoke them in bars and at home.
According to the health ministry, about 46% of young Cameroonians smoke the product, which is often a mixture of tobacco, molasses, glycerine, and flavourings. Doctors say that an hour of shisha is the equivalent of smoking more than 100 cigarettes.
“Traditionally shisha tobacco contains cigarette tobacco, so like cigarettes it contains nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and heavy metals, such as arsenic and lead,” it says.
Tanzania and Sudan have both banned shisha in recent years, though the bans have been reversed and reintroduced multiple times subsequently.